April 14, 2025 editorial of the New Anticapitalist Party-Revolutionaries (NPA-R) in France, translated from French.
On Tuesday, April 2nd, Trump declared a trade war on the whole world: tariffs rising from 10% to 25%, or even more, sowing panic among European bosses, and from 20% to 54% for imports from China. On Tuesday, April 8th, at a banquet of prominent Republicans, he mocked the countries that were trying to negotiate these taxes down: “They’re calling us up, kissing my ass.” The next day, he did an about-face: he announced a 90-day pause, time to negotiate… except for China, where tariffs would instead rise to 145%.
The war of the ruling mafias
Could the nerve and inconsistency of a mafia godfather destabilize the planet’s economy? Partly. But not that much: between the fall in stock market prices caused by the first announcement, then their rise, some have even managed to benefit. “It’s a good time to buy,” Trump tweeted on his social media, warning his friends of the U-turn he was about to make and the resulting rise in share prices, enriching buyers. Consequently, some U.S. senators have called for an investigation into him for “insider trading.”
On Saturday the 12th, Trump announced that smart phones, computers, and some other electronic products made in China would not be subject to the increase in customs duties. This is because part of the U.S. tech industry, such as Apple, which has its products assembled there, fears that it will no longer be able to take full advantage of the exploitation of Chinese workers. Amazon would also lose a large part of its traffic there.
This new episode is characteristic of the power struggles and bargaining among the leaders of the major world powers, who defend the interests of the large industrial and commercial companies: a rivalry at the expense of the workers they exploit and all poor people around the world.
… at our expense
They are counting on all of us to foot the bill—through the price increases caused by the new customs duties and through the layoffs and unemployment caused by the restructuring and relocation of production sites, which will be decided by the bosses according to the profitability of the various markets.
When Trump claims that he will reindustrialize the United States and bring back production from Mexico, it is to move unemployment across the Rio Grande, provided that he succeeds in imposing Mexican workers’ wages on U.S. workers in the name of competition.
The same goes here for all those who, from Le Pen (a French far right-wing leader) and [President] Macron to the leaders of the [moderate] left, talk to us about economic patriotism and protectionism that are supposed to save “our” industry and “our” jobs. But whose profit is it really? That of the French bosses.
Between workers, neither war nor borders
Those in the trade unions who harp on the same theme under the pretext of “fighting against social dumping” are putting themselves on the same ground, arguing for a more nationalist capitalism, where bosses and workers would have common interests [within their countries], and where the state would protect us from competitors’ abuse and customs barriers. But we have no common interest with the exploiters of our countries, whether they are merchants of luxury goods like Arnault (6th richest person in the world and owner of the Louis Vuitton conglomerate) or instruments of death like Dassault (a French military aircraft manufacturer). We refuse to be drawn into their wars, commercial today and perhaps military tomorrow. The only battles worth fighting are those of the workers of all countries, across borders.
All the big corporate groups exploit workers in the four corners of the world, and it will be our common struggles that will rid us of all these parasites and enable us to organize production ourselves according to the needs of all.
