How did Donald Trump get his customs policy? A unfortunately true fairy tale

Dear readers,

One thing in advance: This text represents real events. And yet the story behind it is so absurd that you almost don’t want to believe it. It is a story about political ignorance, about a thought -out author and book cover on Amazon. It is the story of how Donald Trump came up with customs policy that has plunged the stock exchanges around the world into chaos in the past few days. And because this story sounds so incredible, we just imagine that it would be a fairy tale. A unfortunately true fairy tale.

It was a little Donald once.

Little Donald really wanted to be the president of the United States. And that’s why he saddled his horse and ran for the highest political office in the world in 2016. But he quickly noticed how complicated it would be to be president. So he looked for help. Above all, the economy prepared the little Donald headache. In order for the simple farmer people to choose him, he needed an economic route. Something that made him appear strong – compared to the rabble and the other presidents, kings and other rulers of the world.

But little Donald had no idea what such a business campaign could look like. Although he was a businessman, but how to manage such an entire country, he didn’t know. And also in his court with which he surrounded himself, there was not a single expert to find. Jared Kushner. He should ride and bring him an expert. Someone who can set up such a business campaign. The best expert in the country!

But Jared didn’t know where to look. He rode over mountains and through valleys for days. But an expert was not to be found anywhere. But an idea came to him: clever people write books! One of these people will surely be an expert!

So he virtually traveled to the famous Reich Amazon. Here you found everything that was imagined and did not dare to imagine. Jared searched for financial books. But Jared didn’t want to read all of these writings, because he should have bought them. So he only compared the cover. He got stuck on one. It was perfect. A silver dragon was on it. Above it in large letters: “Death by China – Confronting the Dragon – A Global Call to Action” (in German: “Death by China – confrontation with the kite – a global call to act”).

China, threat, nuclear weapons, espionage, fatal products, the attack on the US economy. All of this is promised in the start -up text. An economic book like a thriller. Heureka! Anyone who writes such a book must be an expert!

So Jared called one of the two authors to help: Peter Navarro. He seemed perfect to be perfect for Donald a plan for the international economy of his empire. Because both were able to agree on one thing: in whatever form – something good. They strengthen America and weaken all other rich – so much for (very simplified) theory.

Donald was so enthusiastic about him that he once turned Peter Navarro the head of his newly created National Council and praised him as a “visionary” – Donald was not even in office. The president and his economist, it was love at first glance.

But with his assessment, Donald was relatively lonely. Navarro was no stranger in the USA. And hardly anyone liked it. Some called him “too shrill and xenophobic”. The economist had always noticed in his career: he saw the greatest threat to the United States in the Middle Kingdom. His thesis: China’s climb must be stopped because he goes hand in hand with America’s decline. He described the reason for this with the evil word “trade deficit”. This must be remedied as soon as possible. America just has to import a lot less, build their own factories and take care of themselves. Then milk and honey would soon flow. Fantasies of a protectionist.

But how could that work? Navarro also answered this: with tariffs. They would rinse billions in the American cash registers. Until the competition can no longer keep up. The United States would be the big winner of this economic transformation. Donald liked that. He liked money.

This idea that Navarro relies on his theory comes from a man whom he quotes in his books at least half a dozen times: Ron Vara. That had to be an incredibly clever person.

At the beginning of Donald’s term of office as President, that Ron Vara sent a memo to half Washington, with the demand that tariffs had to be issued against China. The nation, which was like no other for free trade, was in turmoil. In the capital, everyone suddenly talked about tariffs because … well … everyone else spoke about it.

A phantom discussion, with a real phantom: nobody had ever seen Ron Vara or personally talked to him. Because Ron Vara did not exist. Peter Navarro had simply come up with these experts to give his theses a reputable coat of paint and also equip him with the anagram of his last name (Navarro – Ron Vara).

When that, many people were very angry with Navarro. He had cheated people – even Donald. And that had also fallen for his game. But Navarro smiled away. That is an old hat, an “Inside Joke”.

The measures required therefore did not come from an independent expert, but from himself. Nevertheless, the demand remained. For the little Donald it was not a big problem anyway, when he was still a businessman, liked to be pseudonyms like “John Barron” to defend his own criticism in the media, as it found.

Nine years after Navarro was ridden in Donald’s court, the actually horrendous tariff against practically all countries in the world – especially on goods from China.

According to estimates, the tariffs burned six trillion dollars within a few days. But little Donald apparently had no problem with it: “Everything is going very well,” he cheered after the stock exchanges.

But whether the little Donald had understood exactly how tariffs work at all, you could definitely get doubts. Navarro said nothing about that.

And if they have not died, they still cover today.