Part 4/12:
Throughout his speech, Trump underscored the utility of tariffs as a tool for national security and economic strength. He boasted about the economic revival under his presidency, citing stock market milestones such as breaking through 50,000 on the Dow and 7,000 on the S&P 500 within just a year—a feat many economists doubted was possible.
He claimed that tariffs effectively ended five of the eight wars he settled, emphasizing their role not only in economic policy but also in geopolitics. For example, he referenced Kavanaaugh’s assertion that the decision does not negate a president’s authority to impose tariffs, implying that the executive still has substantial, perhaps even more powerful, capacity to defend the U.S. economy.