No Free Rides: Trump's Tariffs Force the World to Play America First
- Aunika Groat
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
The world’s countries are lining up to face the burden of President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs. Among those so-called “countries” is Taiwan, whose independence is unrecognized by much of the world. Only twelve countries officially recognize Taiwan, and the United States is not one of them (yet).
However, implementing tariffs on Taiwan separate from China is a brilliant move. It signals recognition of Taiwan as an independent entity without triggering a full-blown diplomatic firestorm with the Chinese Communist Party. Once again, Trump found a way to walk the fine line between tough leadership and smart diplomacy.
Why Tariffs on Taiwan?
On April 2nd, President Trump announced sweeping reciprocal tariff rates. Taiwan was hit with a 32% tariff, set to kick in on April 9th — even higher than the base 10% rate that most other nations received. Initially, the media, desperate to spin the story, claimed Trump was targeting Taiwan’s semiconductors. TSMC's stock dropped seven percent after the announcement. But as usual, the media missed the real story: TSMC was actually exempted because it is pouring billions of dollars into American factories and bringing jobs back to our soil — exactly what Trump’s America First agenda is all about.
Taiwan’s massive $40 billion trade surplus with the United States made for a fair target. Under Trump, no country (friend or foe) gets a free ride anymore. Fair trade means fair trade. Period.
Why did Taiwan land so high, fourth place on President Trump’s tariffs board? Simple. America is done being taken advantage of.
Taiwan’s Smart Response: A Lesson for the World
Instead of being reactionary like China during the first Trump trade war, Taiwan played it smart. President Lai Ching-te announced he had no plans to retaliate against the United States. Instead, he proposed a zero-tariff agreement modeled after the USMCA deal Trump secured with Mexico and Canada.
“We believe in free and fair trade, and we will lead by example,” President Lai declared. In other words, Taiwan recognized that working with Trump’s America is the only path to real prosperity. This positive approach led to negotiations. Trump, true to form, rewarded good faith by lifting the tariffs on April 9th.
It’s no surprise. Trump has always been willing to deal, but only with leaders who show strength and respect, not weakness and whining.
The Bigger Picture: Trump’s Trade Genius
Taiwan’s handling of the situation stands in stark contrast to China, which attempted to fight back during the original 2018-2019 trade war — and lost big. Taiwan proved that standing with America, not against it, is the smarter path.
Working with the United States isn’t “surrender”; it's a smart strategy. Playing ball with America’s economic superpower opens doors that no other country can.
As President Trump famously said, “Tariff is the most beautiful word to me in the dictionary" because they’re not simply a negotiating tool. They remind the world that America sets the terms now, not the other way around.
Taiwan got the message. The rest of the world would be wise to follow.
Photo Credit:
[Header]: Associated Press
[Embedded 1]: USA Today
[Embedded 2]: Office of the President- Republic of China (Taiwan) via Youtube
Sources:
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