GlobalEthix International, launch of GlobalEthix France

In his frenzied patriotism, coupled with an avowed desire for power, Donald Trump is preparing to impose tariffs of historic magnitude on virtually all of the United States’ trading partners.

But behind this forceful strategy, is there a truly ethical agenda or a fundamentally unjust approach? A look at the paradoxes of this economic policy.

An approach that seems ethical…

At first glance, it’s hard to deny the ambition:

The approach would seem almost ethical, since the goal sought by the American president would be the revitalization of the United States economy, via an offensive reindustrialization policy and a massive tax cut.

On the other hand, these customs duties are supposed to restore an unfair situation, the American deficit being supposedly a reflection of unbalanced trade practices.

The implementation arrangements also appear fair: customs duties are calculated country by country, based on the level of bilateral trade deficit. All countries are affected, even traditional ally Israel. Russia, however, is spared, but on the pretext that international sanctions are already doing the job...

…But a brutal and unilateral implementation

From an American (and Republican) perspective, Trump’s trade policy could well be a matter of ethics.

However, because it was decided unilaterally, without consultation with stakeholders, both internal (the American employers were presented with a fait accompli) and external, without deliberation with the main commercial partners, without taking into account the impacts and risks generated, and in a brutal style characteristic of the character, it can just as easily be reclassified as unfair.

And ultimately, shouldn't we simply say that, since the economic fate of billions of individuals is concerned, it cannot be ethical to publicly engage in this little game of "who will have the biggest (price increase)"?

Ethical or unfair, or both?

This trade policy can be seen as a legitimate act of sovereignty.

But can we really talk about ethics when decisions with global consequences are made without dialogue, without transparency, and in a confrontational manner? Can we afford, in 2025, to play the game of “who will have the biggest (tariff increase)” when the economic fate of billions of people is at stake?

Ethics may not be measured only by intention, but also by method.

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