Trade war, not Twitter war

This week, the Group of 20 economic summit — a gathering of leaders from Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union — will be held in Hamburg, Germany, marking U.S. President Donald Trump’s second trip abroad. It’s time for Trump and the media to focus far less on his tweets than his policies, which could result in the summit kicking off a disastrous global trade war.

This is not wild speculation. It is based on a report last week that described a June 26 cabinet meeting at which member after member warned the president that imposing heavy tariffs on imported steel and perhaps large appliances, semiconductors, aluminum and paper was a dangerous idea — one that could trigger retaliatory responses not just from China but from Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico and the U.K. Despite these warnings, Trump appeared ready to order tariffs.

Yes, the U.S. should object if its products can’t compete on a level playing field. But this should be done on a careful basis, starting with formal protests of unfair practices. It is madness to launch a new trade policy with a blustery response built on the Trump myth that every nation in the world has victimized the U.S. That’s not true.

The value of vigorous trade is obvious. But if the president spoils for a fight instead of heeding his cabinet, this picture could change drastically — for the worse. San Diego Union-Tribune