“If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs”, the first lines of Rudyard Kipling’s famous poem offer a worthy objective to the chaos created by President Trump’s bombshell tariff policies unleashed on the world last week. Eighteen dramatic Wall Street Journal headlines (count them in the April 7 issue) following last weekend’s respite from the stock market’s nosedive outlined the disasters that would destroy the nation and the world’s economies in its wake.
Where is the nearest tall building from which one can jump?
Jumping may be appropriate for some; however, others might first look over Twelve Good, Bad, and Ugly Facts that must be addressed by this new administration looking to correct America’s chronic critical issues.
- Good – America’s basic short-term economy is strong, and its military is a major strength of America.
- Good – The Russian situation in Ukraine is stalemated, and Iran’s situation in the Middle East is the weakest in four years.
- Good – The strategic position of Israel in the Middle East is the most potent in its brief history.
- Good – The Chinese economy is unstable, and the country is experiencing rapidly declining demographics.
- Bad – The U.S. cannot maintain the post-WWII order established at Bretton Woods, and thereafter, such as sea lanes, trade subsidies, and dispute resolution and enforcement.
- Bad – The world’s tariff situation with the U.S. is outdated and badly needs renegotiating.
- Bad – Western Europe’s economy and military situation are unstable.
- Bad – The U.S. stock market was overpriced, and a significant correction was overdue.
- Ugly – America’s federal debt situation is its most potent economic danger.
- Ugly – China presents a significant military adversary and threat to the U.S.
- Ugly – America’s body politic is widely divided.
- Ugly – Western Europe’s declining demographics favor Islamic domination within two or more generations (40 to 80 years).
The U.S. is using ‘good’ items like Israel’s relative newfound strength to address Middle Eastern instability. The military stalemate between Russia and Ukraine opens an opportunity for a diplomatic solution. America may use China’s internal issues to obtain more optimal trade arrangements and reduce military tensions. The U.S.’s broad consumer market can be used for more favorable tariff terms from its trading partners.
The Musk DOGE Task Force will improve America’s financial security if the courts allow it to function and if Congress affirms its efforts legally. If so, the successful economic future of the U.S. is greatly enhanced. Recent losses in the stock markets will be turned into gains.
The Administration must accept that nothing can be changed to reduce the relative decline in its allies in the European Union. The American World Order following World War II cannot be maintained. World growth has shifted away from Europe to Asia and the Western hemisphere.
The recent presidential election did not diminish the divisions in American politics. They only made them worse! “RESIST” is entrenched as the byword of the administration’s opponents, not in finding solutions to America’s problems. With the U.S. Congress closely divided, gridlock is more likely than progress.
The current momentum will be lost if the Administration does not show satisfactory progress to the voters before the 2026 midterm Congressional elections. Political stasis and ‘business as usual’ will return Washington to its normal nonfunctional self.
Whether most Americans jump from the highest building, resist the current efforts to correct our nation’s chronic problems, or keep their heads when all about them are losing theirs will determine whether America celebrates its coming 250th birthday in triumph or in defeat.
TW3
April 10, 2025
John Whitmore Jenkins
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