A Wasted Opportunity on Trade
“Support for free trade reaches new high in NBC/WSJ poll,” read an NBC News headline last August. “In the poll, 64 percent of Americans—including majorities of Democrats and Republicans—agree with the statement that free trade is good for America, because it opens up new markets, and the country can’t avoid the fact of a global economy,” the story read.
Given President Trump’s rampant protectionism, this trend presented Democratic presidential candidates an excellent opportunity to seize the political and economic high ground. They failed to use it. A few candidates mentioned their opposition to Trump’s tariffs. That’s good, but not sufficient; candidates need to be talking about negotiating major new trade agreements. The United States is standing still as the rest of the world moves on. Last night’s debate was another missed opportunity.
