Trump's World View and the Dangers from His Great Wall of Tariffs

Midwestern anxieties are a common feature in both his politics and policies.

- Ravi Velloor

Seven years ago, when US President Donald Trump decided during his first term to meet in a summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, he unexpectedly picked Singapore as the venue for the all-important encounter.

No one was more surprised than the folks in the Singapore Government to receive this news. According to one version of the chain of events, once Mr Trump had decided, his newly appointed national security adviser John Bolton scrambled to seek out the Singapore ambassador as he set about to fulfill his boss' instructions. It then fell upon that veteran diplomat to start pressing the levers at home to ensure a smooth summit.

Mr Trump's decision to meet Mr Kim in Singapore clearly reflected a certain comfort level with the Republic, not least on matters of security. This relates to not just his personal safety, but also the assurance of the presence of US naval facilities on the island.

For all the positives, Singapore was not spared the Trumpian "Liberation Day" tariff blitz last week, even though it has an open economy that places zero tariffs on American goods and runs a trade deficit with the US. As Prime Minister Lawrence Wong told Parliament on April 8, "these are not actions that one does to a friend."

While much of the additional tariffs have since been paused for most countries and China singled out for more, a 10 per cent blanket tariff on most imports from around the world stays.