Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Reason
Reason
Matt Welch

Trump Is Wrong About McKinley's Tariff Legacy

On his first day back in office, Donald Trump praised his new presidential role model, William McKinley, for having "made our country very rich through tariffs." He then signed an executive order re-renaming the highest peak in North America "Mount McKinley."

The 25th president, Trump wrote in
the order, "heroically led our Nation to victory in the Spanish-American War. Under his leadership, the United States enjoyed rapid economic growth and
prosperity, including an expansion of territorial gains for the Nation. [He] championed tariffs to protect U.S. manufacturing, boost domestic production, and drive U.S. industrialization and global reach to new heights."

Twelve days later, Trump announced (then waffled on) blanket 25 percent tariffs on goods coming from Canada and Mexico. "Anybody that's against Tariffs," he contended on social media, "is only against them because these people or entities are controlled by China, or other foreign or domestic companies. Anybody that loves and believes in the United States of America is in favor of Tariffs."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.