Washington Examiner Commentary Writer Tiana Lowe Doescher said President Donald Trump should use tariffs to “embrace our allies” and work against China, giving the allies “favorable” trade deals.
Trump and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese signed an $8.5 billion critical minerals deal on Monday at the White House. Doescher said Trump’s tariffs are “not really” succeeding in bringing jobs back, but Monday’s meeting marked “the beginning” of Trump’s strategy, which is to work with U.S. allies against China.
“Trump says he’s not scared about China invading Taiwan. That’s belied by the fact that we’re directly expediting nuclear submarines. That is what we want to do: embrace our allies to help them ice up the Chinese,” Doescher said on Fox Business’s Mornings with Maria Bartiromo, guest-hosted by Cheryl Casone.
Trump said Sunday that the Supreme Court striking down his use of tariffs would be a “national security” risk and that this would mean other countries could use tariffs but the U.S. could not. He has also confirmed he will visit the Supreme Court on Nov. 5 for arguments on his tariffs case.
Doescher said Trump’s visit would be “something” to watch but wasn’t confident the tariffs were contributing to national security because the U.S. dollar is down “9% on the year.” However, she said the tariffs are “massively” successful in minimizing the federal budget deficit, which came in 4% lower during fiscal 2025.
On Oct. 10, Trump announced a 100% increase in tariffs for Chinese imports, which will go into effect on Nov. 1.
TRUMP REDUCES THE DEFICIT BY 4% WITH TARIFFS AND HIS SIGNATURE TAX LAW
A poll obtained exclusively by the Washington Examiner found that Trump’s tariffs are widely supported by the public, almost one year before the 2026 midterm elections, at 59%. The poll also found that Republican candidates who opposed Duty Drawback jeopardized their own midterm elections.
One problem facing the White House is that farmers are caught in the middle of the U.S. trade war with China. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman (R-AR) told the Washington Examiner that farmers will need “substantial” help dealing with the fallout from the tariffs.
