Donald Trump’s favorite word is “tariff.” He said so. Numerous times. This is one instance where I believe he is telling the truth.

The logical question then is what does he mean on Earth Two when he uses the term? And how does it compare to what it means on Earth One?

WHARTON SCHOOL

Donald Trump attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Both the business school and the university are highly regarded. However neither one seems to hold Trump in high regard either for his business record or for being President of the United States. The feeling seems to be mutual as Penn is one of the elite schools from which Trump has extorted money. Elise Stefanik become celebrity for her grilling of the Penn President; then they both lost their jobs.

Back when Trump at attended Wharton, the standard economic textbook was Economics by Paul Samuelson. Presumably Trump was no more capable of reading a book then then he is now. When he claims he did not read the Vanity Fair articles about his chief of staff, again he is telling the truth.

So even though he never read the economics text book in college, he may have heard the word “tariff” mentioned in class. Regardless, here is what the textbook said about tariffs.

p.654: The effect of a tariff that “protects” against imports is to raise the price to the domestic consumer.

p.678: No fair-minded reader who takes the trouble to think the matter through can fail to see how shallow are most of the economic arguments for tariff protection. The only serious exceptions is the infant-industry or young-economy argument.

p.679: Most arguments for tariff protection are simply rationalizations for special benefits to particular pressure groups and do not stand up under analysis.

Last but not least, here is a statement that certainly seems dated.

p.672: The rest of the world lives in fear of competition from American mass-production industries.

Those mass-production industries aren’t even located in the United States anymore; they have moved to China.

So what does the technical definition on Earth 1 around 50 years ago when Trump was in business school have to do with what Trump means in Earth 2 today?

TRUMP TARIFFS TODAY

Trump has no economic policy. The tariff rates he imposes and the countries he imposes them on are not based on any rational economic theory. He simply makes up numbers that he enjoys levying on countries. He compounds the willy-nilly randomness of the rates on which whatever country he imposes them on devoid of any rational economic justification. In fact, there isn’t even any irrational justification. There is just a number he plucked out of thin air. They are often due to a hissy fit he is having against a country. He might just as well be the proverbial monkey throwing darts at a chart of countries for all the sense they make. Any attempt to understand the Trump tariffs based on an economic rationale is useless.

Nonetheless, there is a purpose to his tariff numbers. Trump is seeking victory but not economic victory. He is seeking to humiliate and defeat the opponent country. Tariffs are a cudgel he wields against weaker foes where the mighty USA crushes the enemy. There is no law of comparative advantage in the economic world of Trump. There is simply a one-on-one competition with each and every country on the globe. He doesn’t even know what the actual economic position is by the enemy countries.

Samuelson has no provision for the Trump tariffs. This is because he wrote an economics book and the Trump tariffs are not based on economics. Instead one should consult a psychology textbook, especially one on child psychology. He still is the immature child seeking to assert his superiority by being a bully.

In support of that quest he makes up numbers out of thin air. And then he repeats them. And if he repeats them enough on social media and on Trump media then the MAGAs will accept it as true on Earth One. Even his campaign speeches incorporate the results from Earth Two as if they apply in Earth One. There is no rhyme or reason to them except that they show a great victory for Donald Trump. Trump has a great leeway in declaring victory. There are no hard facts to guide him or by wish he can be measured. The scorecard simply tallies his victories based on whatever he calculates is winning.

MOMENT OF TRUTH

Then the immature child finally the moment of truth. The adults in the room, aka the Supreme Court, lay down the law. The Court ruled that the Trump tariffs were illegal. Even worse the Court ruled that he had to refund the full $166 billion he had collected from his illegal tariffs. OUCH!

So how did the immature child respond when the law was laid down? Did he comply because of his sense of duty to follow the law? Of course not. Does he pay his taxes?

First he condemned as traitors the votes of his judges on the Supreme Court.

Second he warned corporations not to try to collect the refunds or else.

Third he tried to hide key personnel like the top customs official from having to testify in court.

Fourth he tried to make the refund process as complicated as possible.

Fifth he initiated a new round of tariffs.

THE UNPRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY

In the unpresidential library there will be a separate exhibit on Trump’s Tariffs. It will highlight:

1. his lack of learning in college.

2. his continued lack of learning today.

3. the absence of any adults in the White House today who can teach him the truth.

4. the smallness and immaturity of his child-like mind as he governs by hissy fit.

Regardless of any possible dementia today, his handling of tariffs exposes him as being unfit for the office of President of the United States.