Sununu, Trump, And Tariffs

by Steve MacDonald

At least a few Granite Staters will be displeased. We are not rid of Chris Sununu. He’s still finding a way to get his face on television even though he’s not in elected office. Sure, he’s been subpoenaed for a wrongful arrest lawsuit, so we should expect to see some Sununuing around that, but why is he on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports ( I guess we should be happy it’s not Colbert or something on MSNBC). Well, he appears to be some rando to bounce this question off.

“Is there a danger of one of these countries calling Trump’s bluff? Because tariffs could hurt the US economy, too,” Vargas asked.  

“There’s no question. I wouldn’t call it a danger, but someone’s going to call his bluff,” Sununu responded. “Someone’s going to really hold out and drive, kind of, that wedge.”

“And what the ultimate result of that will be, you know, we’ll have to, kind of wait and see,” Sununu said.

This comes on the heels of Colombia rejecting repatriation flights and then caving a few hours later after President Trump unleashed a Kraken. But it wasn’t just tariffs. He said he’d block visas, impose a travel ban, banking and financial sanctions, and enhance border and customs inspections for Colombian goods; it was a beast of a bit of retaliation. And he promised more if things didn’t change. So, calling his bluff is not even an accurate framing.

Everything with Trump is about making a deal, and it starts with Trump coming in hard and fast. He doesn’t want to do any of that stuff, but to get what he wants, he needs to come in heavy with a promise that it could get worse. And he’s got the authority to make it worse, but he is always willing to negotiate a better deal for everyone (to his thinking) and, ideally, one where both sides win.

Whoever balks at the opening bid will likely know there is an opportunity for at least some mutual benefit and has something in their hand to play.

Tariffs

Many a pundit on both sides have lost their mind in varying degrees over tariffs. Do they work, why they don’t, and when they do? Mainly centered on economic consequences for Americans? This from many a voice that didn’t or doesn’t give a damn about any financial implications of anything for Americans under Obama or Biden – but giving them the benefit of the doubt, do they understand this is just a tool. It’s leverage.

Name one country that wouldn’t want to sell its stuff to the American Market. Even after Biden and Harris treated the country like a rental car, it is still one of the planet’s most potent, most stable economies. It is rich, even when it is poor. And Trump believes that desire can be leveraged to improve the lives and fortunes of ordinary Americans. That this can be done, strengthened, and sustained.

And he means to make as many deals as it takes to get there from here.

Everything is a bargaining chip, and Trump’s not bluffing. He’s serious. So, yeah, he won’t always win with his opening bid, but he already knows that. He expects it. And he knows what the follow-up plays are. Good negotiators will too but how many of those are there and with what do they have to bargain.

We’ll find out soon enough, I suspect.

Author

  • Steve MacDonald

    Steve is a long-time New Hampshire resident, award-winning blogger, and a member of the Board of Directors of The 603 Alliance. He is the owner of Grok Media LLC and the Managing Editor, Executive Editor, assistant editor, Editor, content curator, complaint department, Op-ed editor, gatekeeper (most likely to miss typos because he has no editor), and contributor at GraniteGrok.com. Steve is also a former board member of the Republican Liberty Caucus of New Hampshire, The Republican Volunteer Coalition, has worked for or with many state and local campaigns and grassroots groups, and is a past contributor to the Franklin Center for Public Policy.

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