Democrats must link Trump’s trade agenda to his racism and xenophobia. They should emphasize that in Trump’s worldview, every import is an insult to him, and every trading partner is a villain trying to rip us off. Once Trump’s trade war with China has been firmly rejected, candidates must explain their replacement to the pre-Trump, U.S.-China status quo. A key starting place is to recognize the futility of trying to get China to significantly change its internal economic model. Complementing this market-making initiative, Democrats need to help the people and the communities that have been hollowed out by the loss of factory jobs.

Source: International New York Times December 11, 2019 10:52 UTC