Just after taking the oath of office earlier this year, President Donald Trump vowed to overhaul America's trade system, promising that under his policies, "the American dream will soon be back and thriving like never before."
His plan: to tear down America's decades-old network of trade deals and return domestic manufacturing to levels not seen since the 1950s.
Nearly three months later, we can see how poorly that's working out so far. After Trump imposed a 10% worldwide baseline tariff and a whopping 125% cumulative tariff on imports from China, the stock market sank, other countries retaliated, our trade partners began looking for leadership elsewhere and Trump was forced to back down, while claiming this was the plan all along.
Through the tumult of the last week, one thing has become clear. The global economy is here to stay, with or without us.
This is a preview of Symone D. Sanders-Townsend's latest article. Read the full column here. For more thought-provoking insights from Michael Steele, Alicia Menendez and Symone Sanders-Townsend, watch "The Weekend" every Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. ET on MSNBC.
