, Columnist
Trump’s Man of Steel Posturing Makes America Weaker
Trying to protect the steel and aluminum industries as a path to nation-building is a doomed project.
Trying to protect the steel and aluminum industries is a doomed project that will make America weaker.
Photographer: Qilai Shen/BloombergIf you want to reduce international trade and foreign relations to chest-beating displays of dominance, sooner or later you’re going to end up fighting about steel.
Hard, unbending, corrosion-resistant and essential to producing macho artifacts like skyscrapers, cars and armaments, the metal is indelibly associated with images of strength. President Donald Trump echoed that imagery in a photoshopped image last year showing himself as Superman, nicknamed the Man of Steel, on his Truth Social account.