President Trump’s Trade Game: Praise Him or Pay Up

 

President Trump has turned tariffs into his personal sledgehammer—swinging them at friend and foe alike—not to protect America, but to punish, provoke, and promote himself, leaving global trade in chaos and allies walking on eggshells.

On August 6, 2025, the Swiss president left Washington without a trade deal in hand—just days after President Trump slapped India with a fresh 25% tariff. The reason? India dared to keep buying Russian oil. But oil wasn’t the only thing burning. This wasn’t a strategic move based on sound economics. It was personal. The president didn’t just hit India with tariffs—he buried them under another one, making it clear that if you don’t play his game, you pay his price. In Trump’s world, tariffs are no longer tools of negotiation—they're weapons of ego.

And it wasn’t just about energy. The real crime may have been silence. Pakistan praised Trump for helping with the India-Pakistan ceasefire. They promoted him for the Nobel Peace Prize. India stayed quiet. That silence? A sin worthy of a second tariff. This wasn't foreign policy—it was a presidential pout. Trump expected gratitude. He got indifference. So he reached for his favorite toy: the tariff stick. And just like that, India got whacked. Forget diplomacy. Forget strategy. If you don’t cheer for him, he charges you. That’s the new rule of the game.

This isn’t just unusual—it’s a total break from over a century of U.S. trade tradition. Usually, when a country steps out of line, America uses sanctions. Surgical strikes. Financial pressure. Targeted pain. But Trump skipped the scalpel and grabbed a chainsaw. Instead of sanctions aimed at oil companies or banks, he dumped a tariff on everything. It’s like burning your house down because your neighbor didn’t say good morning. And this strategy? It hits home. American companies using Indian parts now pay more. Consumers buying Indian goods? Prices go up. It’s a self-inflicted punch to the gut—all because someone didn’t clap loud enough.

Tariffs aren’t just tough—they’re dumb when used like this. They hurt American businesses who rely on foreign inputs. They raise costs. They kill predictability. Sanctions, on the other hand, don’t boomerang. But Trump doesn’t seem to care. Tariffs are easy. Sanctions take teamwork. Tariffs can be thrown solo. Sanctions need allies. But Trump’s “go-it-alone” ego show has left the U.S. isolated. You can’t build coalitions when you’re busy bombing bridges. Who’s going to stand with you on sanctions when you’ve already slammed them with tariffs?

Now look at Switzerland. Their president came to D.C. hoping for a deal. They left with nothing. No explanation. No handshake. Just the sound of doors closing. What went wrong? Maybe they didn’t say enough nice things. Maybe they forgot to praise him at the podium. In Trump’s America, praise is power. If you flatter him, you’re fine. If you forget to bow, you get burned. That’s not trade policy—that’s a loyalty test. And world leaders are figuring out that it’s not about numbers anymore. It’s about kneeling at the altar of Trump.

The old playbook is dead. Trade surplus or deficit? Doesn’t matter. Fair terms? Irrelevant. What matters is whether you stroked his ego. Global partners now live in fear of the next tariff tweetstorm. They’re stuck in “uncertainty city,” where no one knows who’s next. Will it be Brazil? France? Canada again? No one can plan. No one can prepare. Businesses are frozen. Leaders are baffled. The only thing predictable is Trump’s unpredictability. He doesn’t play 4D chess. He flips the board when he doesn’t win.

Meanwhile, American companies are bleeding. They can’t make long-term decisions when tariffs drop out of nowhere. They can’t protect supply chains when the rules change overnight. Prices rise. Wages stall. Investments freeze. All because the president wants applause instead of policy. This is economic vandalism disguised as patriotism. The flag’s flying, but the logic is dead.

So let’s call it what it is. Trump isn’t using tariffs to fix trade. He’s using them to feed his ego. If you praise him, you get a deal. If you ignore him, you get the axe. This isn’t diplomacy. It’s revenge politics with a price tag. Praise him or pay. That’s the only deal on the table. And as the Swiss just learned, even neutrality isn’t neutral anymore. In Trump’s trade circus, every country is a target—and every silence is a sin.