Last Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced an across-the-board tariff policy to the American public and the world at large.

Here is an excerpt from the Trump administration’s “America First” executive order on global trade:

“I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that underlying conditions, including a lack of reciprocity in our bilateral trade relationships, disparate tariff rates and non-tariff barriers, and U.S. trading partners’ economic policies that suppress domestic wages and consumption, as indicated by large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits, constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States.  That threat has its source in whole or substantial part outside the United States in the domestic economic policies of key trading partners and structural imbalances in the global trading system.  I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to this threat …

Sec. 3.  Implementation.  (a)  Except as otherwise provided in this order, all articles imported into the customs territory of the United States shall be, consistent with law, subject to an additional ad valorem rate of duty of 10 percent.  Such rates of duty shall apply with respect to goods entered for consumption, or withdrawn from warehouse for consumption, on or after 12:01 a.m. eastern daylight time on April 5, 2025. “

This groundbreaking executive order comes after decades of unfair trade policies that have robbed America of its industrial base and manufacturing backbone. President Trump’s “America First” trade and manufacturing policy aims to revitalize the U.S. economy by fixing the rigged global trade system that has cost Middle America countless jobs and wealth.

The new policy imposes a 10% tariff on all countries starting today. Some countries—such as China, Japan, and the EU—will face even higher reciprocal tariffs, depending on their level of trade imbalance and their tariffs on U.S. goods.

The Twitter/X posts below from the official White House account show the country-by-country tariff levels that the Trump administration has enacted:

If you’ve followed the news in the past 24 hours, you know Wall Street has reacted poorly to the announcement. The S&P 500 index fell nearly 5%—its worst single-day drop since 2020. Additionally, this equity index experienced a roughly $2.5 trillion dollar loss in value just one day after after the tariff policy was unveiled.

Over the past few days, regime media outlets and Wall Street corporate interests have lambasted the Trump administration’s trade policy. Most headlines are now weaponizing public fears of inflation and recession.

That said, the media’s gaslighting over tariffs is eerily similar to the fearmongering seen during the COVID-19 years. Tariffs are a major concern for “America Last” globalist corporations that have offshored their manufacturing to countries with cheap labor and little regulation. These corporations have been the primary beneficiaries of “free trade” policies for the past 75 years.

Terrible trade deals like GATT (1947) and NAFTA (1994) gutted American industry and displaced millions of working-class jobs—while enriching multinationals with access to cheap labor and materials. A 2014 U.S. International Trade Commission report details the negative impacts of NAFTA after 20 years, including widespread job losses and declining job quality across the country.

By contrast, tariffs have historically played an important role in the development of American industry and boosting worker wages. For instance, steel tariffs during Trump’s first term helped create thousands of jobs and sparked billions in new investment in the American steel industry.

This isn’t a new idea. Many Founding Fathers and early American leaders—Alexander Hamilton, George Washington, James Madison, and others—championed tariffs to protect American industry from foreign domination. These policies helped secure our economic independence after breaking from Britain.

American protectionism didn’t end with the Founders. America’s storied tariff tradition continued throughout the 19th century with statesmen like Senator Henry Clay and President William McKinley. During this golden age of protectionism, the American economy expanded rapidly, and the country grew in wealth, size, and power.

Fast forward to today: President Donald Trump is following in the footsteps of Washington, Hamilton, McKinley, and other great American protectionists. A truly “America First” trade policy does not serve Wall Street, Silicon Valley, or libertarian billionaires like the Koch family—and that’s exactly why they’re all united against it.

Let’s hope President Trump and his administration continue to put the American people first—just like the legendary protectionist heroes who came before him.

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Nathan Koenig is a frequent contributor to RVIVR.com, a national conservative political site affiliated with The Hayride. Follow his writing on the Louisiana First Standard Substack, on Twitter (X) @LAFirstStandard, on Tik Tok @la.first.standard & on Instagram @lafirststandard. Email him here: louisianafirststandard@proton.me