On Wednesday, my friend National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow took the podium at the White House briefing room and, per usual, spoke about our economy with the passion of a preacher spreading the good news. Lately, the good economic news abounds. He proclaimed: “The United States economy is growing, we’re pushing through 3 percent. Some said it couldn’t be done. It is being done, and we’re proud of it.” As I’ve written about previously, I hope to see much more of Larry in front of cameras making the case for growth, particularly for the previously-struggling wage earners who propelled President Trump to the White House.
Kudlow also reassured skeptics, both in Washington and on Wall Street, that the president does not seek protracted trade confrontation. Trade should be a rising tide that benefits the whole world. When the rules are fair and the playing field level, America can compete and win against anyone. Our productivity, innovation, scale, and culture all point to a second economic “American Century” for decades to come. But Trump recognizes that America’s benevolence has been abused. For too long, presidents of both parties have ignored the lack of reciprocity and the outright theft of American intellectual property by other nations.
The harsh reality is that America has been in a trade war for decades, and one we were losing. Trump now smartly demands symmetry in our trade deals and a fair shake for American workers. This issue should really be bipartisan, as evidenced by a recent letter co-authored by Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo criticizing Canada’s huge tariffs upon the dairy farmers of their two states.
As Trump travels to Canada, he seeks a reset on how America engages with the world. At the G-7, he will make the case for fairer treatment of U.S. goods and services by our allies. Kudlow rightly describes these discussions as “family disagreements” that can be amicably settled.
But America First surely does not equal America Alone, which is why he will then travel to Singapore. There, the president will seek de-escalation with an adversary that has kept the Korean peninsula hostile for decades.
America First does mean that President Trump requires that America be treated fairly economically and that wealthy nations like South Korea take the primary role in their own security. Such beliefs are not exclusive, of course, to the U.S., as evidenced by popular political movements in Britain, Italy, and elsewhere. When nations intelligently pursue their own self-interest, rather than cater to multilateral globalist agendas, the world becomes safer and more prosperous, as President Trump already proves, only 500 days into his presidency.
Steve Cortes is a CNN Political Commentator. He served as a Trump 2016 campaign aide and on the Trump Hispanic Advisory Council.
