In a briefing to journalists, U.S. secretary of state Marco Rubio defended President Trump’s tariffs, which have caused great difficulty for the global financial markets. Discussing U.S. trade partners, he stated “their economies are not crashing–their markets are reacting to a dramatic change in the global order in terms of trade,” while asserting the U.S. is
the largest consumer market in the world, and yet the only thing we export is services, and we need to stop that… We need to get back to a time where we’re a country that can make things.
Rubio’s approach will be controversial to defenders of the fast-fading “rules-based international order.” Others will note the secretary’s commitment, like that of Trump, to his sovereign national interests.
