Trump has threatened to impose tariffs on every single export from China to the Untied States, and he might do so as early as December. That would be a mistake that will backfire against the president and against the United States.

The current tariffs on $250 billion worth of goods are painful. Ask any farmer and they’ll tell you that the trade war has hurt their business, dampened their earnings and, potentially, ruined their market share for years to come. Although Trump hastily passed a bailout to protect some of his worst-hit supporters, that federal money is hardly enough to constitute a workable long-term solution. Worse, it distorts the market and fails to set American agriculture up for long-term stability.