Leon V. | Red Phoenix correspondent | Florida–

In a move that defies nearly all logic, both bourgeois and Marxist, Trump has gone through with his tariffs. Labeling it as the great “Liberation Day,” it seems the only thing these tariffs have liberated are shareholders from their portfolios. Stock markets globally are tumbling at a pace that is starting to exceed the 2009 Recession, and is barreling towards the Great Depression of the 1930s. In America the DOW Jones fell 1200 points the moment the market opened. Nasdaq and S&P500 are both down 4%. Across the seas, the French and UK markets fell nearly 5% while Germany started this morning down 10% before leveling off and matching its European partners. Japan potentially got the worst of the brunt collapsing more than 8% before it was shut down to stop a free fall. (This was all collected at the time of writing, Apr. 7.)

Facing a potential sequel to the Great Depression, a “Greater Depression” perhaps, one has to wonder: what was the plan here? Nearly every single “reputable” bourgeois economist has lambasted Trump for his economic protectionism, even going so far that over 350 economists signed an open-letter condemning the President’s plan. There also has to have been some “sensible” economists in his court desperately pleading him not to go through with this, so again, what gives? 

I believe there’s two sides to this scenario we’ve found ourselves in and that is the extremely fragile alliance between the populist nationalists and the traditional financial elites. The new wave of populist nationalists led by Trump, the MAGA crowd, seem to have drunk the Kool-Aid and genuinely believe in the tariffs. No matter how nonsensical the rhetoric Trump uses they will always stand by them, for reference Conservative pundits have begun to pivot their messaging about how it’s actually “Patriotic” to pay ridiculous prices for everyday goods. However, the MAGA crowd is a smokescreen to distract from the real threat here: the financial oligarchs. 

Capital has a tendency to accumulate, this was the primary battleground fought on 100 years ago by progressive liberals and socialists alike. While dealt some blows and setbacks, the American bourgeoisie have steadily been clawing back the consolidation of the economy. Our “Liberatory” tariffs have caused some friction amongst the ruling elites, (Elon Musk, of Trump concubinage and failed video game legend fame, has even urged the President to drop the tariffs) but overall they still seem to be in support of the Trump plan (even Democrats have tuned their messaging to be “pro-tariff”, but just against how Trump implemented them). One of the contradictions of capital is the need for infinite growth and the bourgeoisie, under few exceptions, tolerate short term losses, however now they are. I believe what we are seeing is an economic false flag, in that the bourgeoisie are burning down capital around them purposefully so that they can buy up companies and stock at a discounted price all while the only people who suffer are the international proletariat. 

This gambit is certainly a risky one for the capitalists, but it presents a unique opportunity for the Communist Movement. Currently, the liberal opposition is floundering in countering the Trump regime and people are becoming consciously aware of their failure. This is where the chess pieces fall into place for us and is something we must take advantage of. As we go into the incoming crisis we must be steadfast in our anti capitalism and agitate class consciousness wherever we go.

Categories: Economy, U.S. News