There are a lot of places around the world that demand the attention of the United States.
The first one that comes to mind is Iran, which responded to American missile attacks last spring by restricting oil tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. Gasoline prices, especially diesel fuel, have risen sharply in response. Iran’s allies, the Houthi militants in Yemen, have blocked another waterway between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian peninsula.
Then there is Russia, whose invasion of Ukraine more than four years ago is remarkable for its lack of progress. A second surprise from that war is the number of attacks made by drones, which Ukraine is using effectively to damage Russian assets hundreds of miles away.
There is China. The world’s most populous nation is not in military combat with anyone, but its leaders are trying to elbow the United States out of position around the world, especially in the rest of Asia. China’s designs on Taiwan are evident, and it’s fair to wonder if anyone can keep the Chinese from invading when they believe the time is right.
There are other hot spots that could flare up at any time. Which makes you wonder why President Trump continues to pick fights with our friends — like Canada.
Last year the president talked condescendingly about making Canada our country’s 51st state. Now he’s increasing tariffs on certain Canadian imports — even though his first administration set trading rules in a wide-ranging 2020 agreement with both Canada and Mexico.
With everything else going on, what is to be gained by starting an economic fight with a neighbor and ally? The president even seemed angered when Canada raised tariffs against the United States. What did he expect them to do, roll over and play dead like Congress has?
The president’s obsession with tariffs is hurting him. They are extra taxes that raise prices.
Inflation is about 3.5% per year, well above the 2% goal of the Federal Reserve, which raised interest rates last week to slow price increases.
The Strait of Hormuz deadlock has taken a lot of global oil off the market. America is producing more oil and gas than ever, yet the cost of gasoline and diesel fuel is way up.
The president believes other countries have been swindling the United States through trade policies, even though that overlooks how our economy got to be the largest in the world. It also ignores decades of economic history that shows the main effects of tariffs are higher prices and less competition. Which is exactly what the free-market American economy does not need.
The president has been applying new tariffs since April 2025. The Supreme Court has already ruled some of them illegal, and lawsuits against other tariffs are proceeding. The most wrong-headed set of these higher taxes are the recent ones against Canada.
The midterm elections are six weeks away, and Republicans are right to be worried. Trump has broken some key campaign promises — no more wars in the Middle East, prices will come down. Perhaps just as badly, he mishandled the files on Jeffrey Epstein, making it look like he was trying to protect an old friend.
The public has noticed. That does not guarantee they will give Democrats control of Congress, because the party still tends to nominate far-out candidates that won’t appeal to the moderate voters who decide key general elections.
But if Democrats do win big in November, the president will not be able to blame anyone else. As Harry Truman said, “The buck stops here,” and Trump made all the decisions that have put the Republicans at such risk.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
