> Assumption: Trump wants fair trade. HN readers want fair trade... The core of the problem is obviously that the initial assumption is false: Trump and HN do n

> Assumption: Trump wants fair trade. HN readers want fair trade... The core of the problem is obviously that the initial assumption is false: Trump and HN do not want fairer trade, but trade one-sidedly beneffiting the US. I realize your comment is not from a pro-US perspective, but try not to conflate a leader of a country with a group of users coming from that country. Many people on HN have nuanced views of the value of trade. If you read anything Trump has said or written on the topic its clear that he has no idea what international trade is or how tariffs work. Attributing any plan or intelligent design behind these things is one of the biggest mistakes we have made in addressing the problems created by this president. Its just what people "ooo" and "aaah" about at his rallies and that's all he cares about, but it attracts political allies that share that belief for their own reasons and that is who we see being selected to carry out US policies.