مجلة النص
Volume 8, Numéro 3, Pages 716-725
2021-12-16

Could Trump “make America Great Again” With His Protectionist Policy?

Authors : Beghdadi Farouk .

Abstract

Since his inauguration as President of the United States in 2017, and unlike all the presidents who came after the end of the WWII, Donald J. Trump did not wage war against any country; this was part of his non-interventionist policy based on avoiding the U.S. forces to get involved in foreign conflicts. Contrariwise, he strongly believed in U.S. economic protectionism to defend his country’s interests in the world. He did not hesitate to wage a trade war against China, and even U.S. allies like Canada and the European countries by raising tariffs and putting economic barriers against their imported products which resulted in global economic uncertainties. This paper tackles the rise of Trump’s protectionist policy and its impact on both U.S. and world economies. Trump’s “America First” economic strategy, initiated what many experts call a new Cold War with China which would divide the world into economic blocs and lead to a global depression and eventually a new world order. In America, many voices warned the President that he might be doing the same mistakes that led to the 1930s Great Depression, but amid these fears, he did not give up his strategy which he claimed it would “Make America Great Again.” The focus of the paper will be on whether he could really strengthen the nation’s welfare with his extreme protectionist policy.

Keywords

United States ; China ; Protectionism ; Trump ; Trade war ; economy