President Donald Trump has a history of being a very “unreliable partner,” says economist Justin Wolfers, so why would any other nation trust a nation under his control.
“Suppose I told you I’d been married seven times, and that I’d cheated on all seven wives. And then I asked you to marry me anyway,” said Wolfers. “If I had breached that agreement with seven past spouses, I reckon you wouldn’t trust me to live up to it the eighth time. And so even as we might say the words ‘in sickness and in health’ at some flashy ceremony, I’m not sure it buys us anything.”
That’s where we are with Canada, said Wolfers and Trump’s claims of being a better man and partner with our closest economic partner.
Trump is currently threatening Canada with yet another 50 percent tariffs on a wide range of items, said Wolfers.
“[This includes] — and this is the important — stuff that he had already agreed not to tariff as part of the USMCA, the free trade agreement that he negotiated with Canada,” Wolfers said. “… The problem, of course, is that we already have a free trade deal with Canada. Which is where the marriage comes in. Wedding vows are, in their essence, trade agreements.”
For many couples, a wedding is the precise moment two households become one, complete with chore sharing, deciding investments and some very big and important obligations.
“Most of these ‘trade agreements’ are more far-reaching, and provide the secure foundation for couples to enjoy the dance of love and sex and children,” said Wolfers. “The standard script of wedding vows includes a commitment to work together ‘for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part.’ Our existing free trade agreement with Canada says the same thing.
But Trump is a man with three wives, plus a history of busting certain crucial obligations with them — sometimes with sex industry workers. What could a guy like that know about obligations?
I any case, Trump’s threats to renege on a commitment don’t widen the range of deals available to the U.S., Wolfers argues. It narrows it.
“Every arrangement that would require Canada to trust us for years running is now off the table, because we’ve shown ourselves to be an unreliable partner,” he said. “The best we can do is make a ‘deal’ — the scare quotes are real — that is shallow, transactional, and not really binding.”
If you’re a Canadian auto parts manufacturer, there’s no reason to feel secure enough in your relationships with your American counterparts to build a factory near the US-Canadian border as part of a commitment with General Motors.
Wolfers said Trump appears to be a rotten husband anyhow, considering his total absence of respect for the phenomenon of “consent.”
“The president declared early on that he wanted Canada to be the 51st state, whether they wanted it or not. He’s not especially interested in his partner’s consent,” said Wolfers. “That is a terrible way to begin a relationship.”
But Trump’s commitment issues are not just with Canda, warned Wolfers. The damage is more far-reaching.
“Trump’s inability to commit, and his indifference to consent, seem not to be a huge story in the United States (there’s so much going on!). But it’s front-page news around the world,” said Wolfers. “… The rest of the world has noticed that it’s impossible to trust the United States on trade.”
This likely explains how Trump can be a year and a half into his trade war and the U.S. has yet to see a single trade deal with a lasting and valuable commitment. There’s no reason to trust the honest of somebody with these kinds of infidelity issues.