Courting a US Recession Is Reckless and Heartless
The Trump administration is making a very risky bet that allowing the economy to slow down will make it stronger.
A little disturbance.
Photographer: Kent Nishimura/Bloomberg
It’s pretty shocking that the White House seems to be risking a recession as a pathway to some type of economic “reset.” Anyone with an appreciation of the dislocations and pain that come with recessions would be wary of tempting fate, especially at this moment in time.
Donald Trump campaigned on the idea that he would use tariffs to negotiate fairer trade agreements, leveling the playing field for American exporters and, ultimately, driving a manufacturing renaissance that would create high-paying jobs. Given how Trump used the economy and financial markets as measuring sticks during his first term, the thinking was that he would know when to cut back on the tough trade talk before the fallout got too damaging.