From Protecting America to Selling America: The MAGA Mirage

There was a time—not too long ago—when "Made in America" wasn't just a label. It was a legacy. It was the heartbeat of blue-collar patriotism, the sweat and steel of Pittsburgh, Detroit, and Cleveland. It meant something. It meant power. It meant independence. It meant Donald Trump's America First.

- SAVIO RODRIGUES

But now, in the twilight of Trump's political theater and the fog of shifting loyalties, we are forced to ask a very uncomfortable question: From protecting America to selling America—what changed, Mr. President?

Let's rewind.

In 2023, Nippon Steel, Japan's industrial heavyweight, came knocking at the doors of America's storied steel icon—US Steel. At the time, it looked like a potential rescue mission for a fading titan of American industry. US Steel, with its 124-year-old legacy that once helped build everything from tanks in WWII to skyscrapers across America, was struggling to keep up in the brutal global steel economy. The Japanese offer was generous—$14.9 billion with promises of investments, job creation, and retention of the US Steel brand. On paper, a win-win. In spirit, a surrender.

When the deal was first floated, all hell broke loose in the MAGA universe. The chorus was loud and clear: America's last steel giant must not be sold to a foreign power. Donald Trump himself, then running on the fumes of the America First doctrine, roared with indignation. "We will not let foreign interests dismantle American industry brick by brick," he declared on the campaign trail. Steelworkers' unions stood behind him. Joe Biden, too, curiously, took a similar nationalist stand—blocking the deal during the tail-end of his presidency. For once, bipartisan outrage aligned with American pride.

And then came the flip.