The Tariff Bully

It doesn't take much effort to see what's actually happening here

If you blinked, you missed the beginning, middle, and end of a tense international standoff today. Colombian socialist president Gustavo Petro decided to showboat for the like-minded, declaring that Colombia would refuse to accept planes returning Colombian citizens who were illegally residing in the United States. Donald Trump sprang into action, announcing his now trademark 25% tariffs (among other penalties), and declared that the tariff would rise to 50% in a week if Petro didn’t back down.

Petro, facing the economic annihilation of his country over his foolish blustering, backed down within 30 minutes and offered his own personal plane to aid in the deportations. His rhetorical cover is that he wanted to ensure that Colombian citizens are treated humanely during their trip home.

And just like that, it’s over.