—–Michael Lyles, B1Daily

Trump’s tariffs have offered a lot of insight into the global market’s response.

For one, direct retaliatory responses have already taken place. Trump started his trade war by announcing 25% tariffs on all cars made outside of the U.S.

China, the largest auto manufacture on earth, responded immediately with reciprocal tariffs.

Trump also raised tariffs across the board on Canada and Mexico, both of which responded with their own tariffs, and came to the table to start re-negotiations.

Trump’s objective is clear. Restructure the standing US trade agreements, so as to assure that nations benefiting from the American consumer’s dollars either restructure their deals in more favorable terms to American corporations, or bring that industry to America directly so the workers who are also consumers benefit.

To be clear, B1daily does not endorse tariffs, for they are a last economic resort in global negotiations.

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) which was passed in the 1990’s by Bill Clinton and a Republican congress led by Newt Gingrich, severely weakened the American worker, allowing large auto and furniture manufactures in specific to export thousands of jobs per month to Mexico, Canada, and other South American countries under of the guise of political stability. In reality, it was a shrewd move by white corporate entities to cheapen their own labor means while still being allowed to sell those same products made elsewhere to Americans on a markup.

Canada has taken advantage of Americas shortage in its own lumber market, often raising prices by 3% per quarter. This has affected the American and Canadian housing market.

Mexico benefited from thousands of low wage manufacturing jobs over the last 20 years. Those jobs could have been done by Americans, especially since the US auto industry routinely asks congress for subsidies .

Mexico benefited from thousands of low wage manufacturing jobs over the last 20 years.

Trumps approach is brash and radical, but in his defense, there hasn’t been a willingness on the behalf of the US congress to act on restructuring trade agreements that millions of American workers find to be unfair.

Imagine, your nation’s most vulnerable populace needs to have consistent work to start families and to contribute to the gross domestic product. NAFTA allowed for corporations to make more profits than ever, but they still furloughed millions of Americans‘, de-industrialized entire cities like Detroit, and converted a industry that American young men made their livelihoods off of, into a luxury industry that sells high end vehicles that 60% of Americans’ can’t even afford.

The numbers are quite clear; The biggest winners from the last 30 years of trade agreements have been wealthy white businessmen and the politicians who have taken lobbying funds from their companies.

Brexit fell apart because of Britain’s lack of manufacturing capacity, space to even build factories or other large scale projects, and its utter dependency on the European Union.

The US however, has the second largest consumer market on earth, the most space of any single nation outside of the African continent to build mega projects, and most of the free world depends on some type of US economic or military-like protection.

America has the cards in the current scenario.

However, the Trump administration must be willing to subsidize the manufacturing, auto, agriculture, and clean energy industries. If not, there will be no way to guarantee future job growth in a squeezed market whole fully dependent on American products.

The Black community will remain largely unaffected. As we constitute less than 3% of US corporate entities, and even less of the overall wealth, and holdings of assets.

“Until Black Americans receive reparations, they’ll largely not see any major economic changes regardless of how many business they build. There’s only so much they can build without access to venture capital or state and federal assistance like their white counterparts. The white middle class was build with the help of the federal government and private institutions working in tandem with each other.” said Vanessa Edwards, a Alabama A&M grad and an accomplished economist who has worked with numerous venture capital firms around the nation and now owns her own consulting agency.

As we’ve seen with the Dow, S&P, and Nasdaq, Black Americans face regular layoffs even when the market is doing great.

Americans would accept a bad market if housing was affordable, or if insurance was affordable, or if food was affordable.

But neither scenario will occur, instead the Trump administration will most likely restructure similar deals, only this time wealthy white corporations will benefit just as much and pretend to hire more white workers for a short time period, all while conspiring to use artificial intelligence to completely replace them all together within the next decade.

The Black community should look at Trump’s tariffs as a example to what a leader who represents our communities interest could wield against our opponents. Reparations could be negotiated for with tariffs as a potential economic threat.

Now, why haven’t the Democrats, the party who proclaims to be about supporting workers acted? Despite their having a super majority in the US congress not once but 3 times in the last 2 decades?

“Until Black Americans receive reparations, they’ll largely not see any major economic changes regardless of how many business they build. There’s only so much they can build without access to venture capital or state and federal assistance like their white counterparts.” Vanessa Edwards, Live Wealth Consulting

Trump is showing the Black community that the presidents’ powers can indeed touch US industry, and much of the gripes that the American Black community has, stems around it’s economic viability and the forced deprivation of the US Black community.

The Black community needs it’s own leader who is willing to throw the markets in a loop for reparations or any other cause dedicated towards us. Black business receive virtually no state or federal contracts, despite regularly bidding. This discriminatory practice is illegal, yet no member of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) has ever filibustered on our behalf, let alone threaten actual political action.

Black bushiness receive no specific tax breaks despite statistical evidence proving that the IRS audits Black people more often than any other group in America.

The Black community needs it’s own leader who is willing to throw the markets in a loop for reparations

Trump may be wrong on his course of action, but at least he took action.

Black constituents have been told for the better half of 60 years that they shouldn’t ask for anything especially economic empowerment in a country that literally burned down their ancestors assets.

The CBC and other Democratic institutions haven’t done anything in comparison for Black voters or any other constituents outside of white female voters. And people tend to remember that fact, as Obama saw when he was booed at multiple Black events in 2024.

Obama continued Bush’s failed policies and allowed the handing out of trillions of dollars in bailout money to white corporate entities and let what few Black business the community did have at the time, be trampled on by newly invigorated white venture capital.

Black home ownership suffered under Obama’s tenure, and worst of all Obama publicly spoke against reparations for Freedmen.

The US media wants to frame Trump’s actions by the effects it will have on white America, not Black America. But It also ignores that the Democrats could have taken steps to make real revolutionary economic changes, but have chosen not to for fear of losing corporate donations.

Worst of all, Obama publicly spoke against reparations for Freedmen.

Black Americans need to spend their money with Black business exclusively. In times of economic realigning, our institutions are the first to be struck at. Don’t boycott a racist business just for this year, shop at a Black business all the time!

The tariff negotiations should be Black America’s proof that both parties could force the US’s racist industry to move for Black citizens, they simply choose not to.

–Michael Lyles, B1Daily