Capital’s War On The Working Class Behind Trump’s Tariff Hikes: Analyst

What is the true motive behind Donald Trump’s tariff war against Mexico, Canada, and China, with promises to expand it globally? Moving beyond political rhetoric, three key factors emerge.

The tariff war is a response to the deepening crisis of global capitalism.

First, the tariff war is a response to the deepening crisis of global capitalism. Second, it represents a radical escalation of class warfare from above against both U.S. and global workers.

Third, the policy is riddled with contradictions that may ultimately worsen the crisis and weaken Trump’s political coalition, William I. Robinson wrote in an analysis for Truthout.

The crisis of global capitalism is both economic and political. Economically, the system faces chronic stagnation and a structural crisis of overaccumulation, leading to financial turbulence and geopolitical conflicts.

Over the past half-century, every nation has been integrated into a global system of production, finance, and services.

While nationalist and populist movements—on both the left and right—may seek to disengage from the global economy, doing so would cause massive disruptions, potentially leading to economic chaos.

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020, which temporarily shut down global supply chains, triggered an economic meltdown comparable to the Great Depression of the 1930s.

Trump’s tariff war will likely exacerbate economic instability. Additionally, the global system faces a mounting political crisis, as capitalist states struggle to maintain legitimacy while simultaneously promoting transnational capital accumulation.

This contradiction—between a globally integrated economy and a nation-state-based system of political authority—creates tensions that could further destabilize the global order.