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Trump, International Trade and Populism

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Netherlands Yearbook of International Law 2018

Part of the book series: Netherlands Yearbook of International Law ((NYIL,volume 49))

Abstract

This chapter argues that Donald Trump’s particular brand of populism should be seen not as a rejection of neoliberalism, but rather as a variant of it. Both Trump’s ‘populist neoliberalism’ and orthodox ‘globalist neoliberalism’ share the core markers of neoliberal political rationality: the conceptual centrality of the market as the site of veridiction in political and social life; a vision of the individual—at least in the aggregate—as the rational, self-interest maximizing homo economicus; and a reliance on government to create the optimal conditions for market functioning. While Trump indeed differs from globalists when it comes to assessing the value of current international economic governance structures, he has by no means rejected the broader tenets of neoliberal political reason. Rather, his policies aim to promote a free market-oriented neoliberalism domestically, while advocating competitive policies in the international market that clash with the cooperative globalist neoliberalism of the centrist ‘elite’. This alternative neoliberal vision of the global economy differs only in that it is oriented toward competition rather than cooperation on the international front. The chapter thus argues that Trump’s economic policies are not a sign of the victory of ‘the people’ over neoliberalism, but rather of Trump’s opposition to the internationalism of the globalist neoliberal political platform.

Lukasz Gruszczynski is External Research Fellow at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Centre for Social Sciences Institute for Legal Studies, and Associate Professor (dr. habil.) at Kozminski University. Jessica Lawrence is Associate Professor at Central European University, Department of Legal Studies.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    See, e.g., Gusterson 2017. See also L Elliott, Populism is the result of global economic failure, The Guardian, 26 March 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/26/populism-is-the-result-of-global-economic-failure, accessed 21 March 2019.

  2. 2.

    N Klein, It was the Democrats’ embrace of neoliberalism that won it for Trump, The Guardian, 9 November 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/nov/09/rise-of-the-davos-class-sealed-americas-fate, accessed 21 March 2019.

  3. 3.

    Note that while the focus of this chapter is on the impact of neoliberalism on Trump’s populist rhetoric and actions, contemporary neoliberalism is not hegemonic, but coexists and is hybridized with other governing logics. Individuals are never fully colonized by any particular subjectivity, homo economicus or otherwise, but rather have complex identities constructed from multiple competing influences and relationships.

  4. 4.

    See, e.g., Higgott 2018; Cozzolino 2018, at 55–59.

  5. 5.

    Mudde 2004, at 543.

  6. 6.

    Judis and Teixeira 2002 (quoted in Mudde 2004, at 543).

  7. 7.

    Mudde 2004, at 543.

  8. 8.

    B Margulies, Populism: A Field Guide, Political Studies Association, 3 June 2016, https://www.psa.ac.uk/insight-plus/blog/populism-field-guide, accessed 25 March 2019.

  9. 9.

    Laclau 2005, at 69–72.

  10. 10.

    Westlind 1996; Laclau 2005, at 49; Ware 2002, at 102.

  11. 11.

    E.g. Taggart 2002, at 76; in the older literature Shils 1956, at 98.

  12. 12.

    Canovan 1999, at 6; Albertazzi and McDonnell 2008, at 5; note however that some argue that the role of leadership ‘facilitates rather than defines populism’ (e.g. Mudde 2004, at 548).

  13. 13.

    In particular, see Foucault 2003, 2007, 2008.

  14. 14.

    See Dean 2010, at 24; Rose and Miller 1992, at 173.

  15. 15.

    Rose and Miller 1992, at 175.

  16. 16.

    Harvey 2005, at 2.

  17. 17.

    Brown 2015, at 67–68.

  18. 18.

    For a general overview, see Springer et al. 2016.

  19. 19.

    Fraser 2017.

  20. 20.

    Brown 2015, at 67.

  21. 21.

    See generally Lawrence 2018.

  22. 22.

    Cozzolino 2018, at 68.

  23. 23.

    Taggart 2002, at 66; Taggart 2000, at 95; Inglehart and Norris 2016, at 4.

  24. 24.

    Wilson 2017, at 554. This resonates with one of the Trump’s remarks in his recent address to the United Nation General Assembly: ‘Sovereign and independent nations are the only vehicle where freedom has ever survived, democracy has ever endured, or peace has ever prospered.’ (A Ward, Trump’s speech to the UN General Assembly, Vox, 25 September 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/9/25/17901082/trump-un-2018-speech-full-text, accessed 21 March 2019).

  25. 25.

    This statement was made during the Republican Debate on 14 January 2016, see HS Edwards, Donald Trump, Tariff-Supporting Free Trader, Time, 15 January 2016, http://time.com/4181999/donald-trump-tariff-free-trade/, accessed 21 March 2019.

  26. 26.

    See, e.g., the transcript of Trump’s speech in Monessen, Pennsylvania on 28 June 2016, Time, Read Donald Trump’s Speech on Trade, 28 June 2016, http://time.com/4386335/donald-trump-trade-speech-transcript/, accessed 21 March 2019.

  27. 27.

    See, e.g., Trump’s speech in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on 22 October 2016, CNN Transcripts, Trump Speaks in Pennsylvania; Examining Proposed Actions in First 100 Days of Trump Administration. Aired 12-1p ET, http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1610/22/cnr.03.html, accessed 21 March 2019.

  28. 28.

    See, e.g., Coalition for a Prosperous America, Donald Trump: Reforming the U.S.-China trade relationship to make America great again, 20 November 2015, https://www.prosperousamerica.org/donald_trump_reforming_the_u_s_china_trade_relationship_to_make_america_great_again, accessed 21 March 2019.

  29. 29.

    See, e.g., M Boyle, Exclusive–Donald Trump declares war on Obamatrade: ‘Time to send a real businessman’ to White House to end this, Breitbart, 5 October 2015, https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2015/10/05/exclusive-donald-trump-declares-war-on-obamatrade-time-to-send-a-real-businessman-to-white-house-to-end-this/, accessed 21 March 2019.

  30. 30.

    See n 26 above.

  31. 31.

    Ibid.

  32. 32.

    See, e.g., M Mali, Trump threatens to ‘break’ trade pact with Mexico, Canada, The Hill, 26 September 2015, https://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/255053-trump-vows-to-renegotiate-or-break-trade-pact-with-mexico-canada, accessed 25 March 2019.

  33. 33.

    J Calmes, Trump Scores Points on Trade in Debate, but Not So Much on Accuracy, The New York Times, 28 September 2016, https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/us/politics/hillary-clinton-donald-trump-trade-tpp-nafta.html, accessed 25 March 2019.

  34. 34.

    See, e.g., W Mauldin, Trump Threatens to Pull U.S. Out of World Trade Organization, The Wall Street Journal 24 July 2016, https://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/07/24/trump-threatens-to-pull-u-s-out-of-world-trade-organization/, accessed 28 March 2019.

  35. 35.

    I Mount, Donald Trump Says It Might Be Time for the U.S. To Quit the WTO, Fortune, 25 July 2016, http://fortune.com/2016/07/25/donald-trump-free-trade-wto/, accessed 25 March 2019.

  36. 36.

    The TPP was a trade agreement signed between the US (under the Obama administration), Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam on 4 February 2016. The agreement was intended to create the largest free trade area in the world, representing approximately 40% of the world’s economic output (see KA Elliot et al. (February 2016), Assessing the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Volume 1: Market Access and Sectoral Issues, Peterson Institute for International Economics Briefing 16-1, https://piie.com/system/files/documents/piieb16-1.pdf, accessed 25 March 2019).

  37. 37.

    See n 26 above.

  38. 38.

    T Hains, Message from President-Elect Trump: We Will Withdraw From TPP On Day One, RealClearPolitics, 21 November 2016, https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/11/21/a_message_from_president-elect_trump_introducing_policy_plans.html, accessed 25 March 2019.

  39. 39.

    See n 26 above.

  40. 40.

    This statement was made during the Fourth Republican Debate on 11 November 2015 in Milwaukee, see C Alter, Transcript: Read the Full Text of the Fourth Republican Debate in Milwaukee, Time, 11 November 2015 http://time.com/4107636/transcript-read-the-full-text-of-the-fourth-republican-debate-in-milwaukee/, accessed 25 March 2019.

  41. 41.

    See, e.g., RE Lighthizer, Donald Trump Is No Liberal on Trade: Get-tough Views on China Recall Roots of Republican Party, The Washington Times, 9 May 2011, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2011/may/9/donald-trump-is-no-liberal-on-trade/, accessed 25 March 2019.

  42. 42.

    Technically speaking, the US simply informed the TPP depositary that it did not intend to become a party to the agreement (this was still possible as the agreement had not yet been ratified by the Congress), see Letter from the Office of the United States Trade Representative, 30 January 2017, https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/1-30-17%20USTR%20Letter%20to%20TPP%20Depositary.pdf, accessed 25 March 2019.

  43. 43.

    See, e.g., Solís 2016.

  44. 44.

    D Sherwood and F Iturrieta, Asia-Pacific nations sign sweeping trade deal without U.S., Reuters, 8 March 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-tpp/asia-pacific-nations-sign-sweeping-trade-deal-without-u-s-idUSKCN1GK0JM, accessed 25 March 2019.

  45. 45.

    J Pramuk, Trump: I would reconsider a massive Pacific trade deal if it were ‘substantially better’, CNBC, 25 January 2018, https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/25/trump-says-he-would-reconsider-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal.html, accessed 25 March 2019.

  46. 46.

    European Commission, Report of the 15th Round of Negotiations for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, October 2016, http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2016/october/tradoc_155027.pdf, accessed 25 March 2019.

  47. 47.

    P Blenkinsop, U.S. trade talks in deep freeze after Trump win, says EU, Reuters, 11 November 2016, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-eu-trade-idUSKBN1361UN, accessed 25 March 2019.

  48. 48.

    B Appelbaum and G Thrush, Trump’s Day of Hardball and Confusion on NAFTA, The New York Times, 27 April 2017, https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/27/us/politics/trump-says-he-will-renegotiate-nafta-or-terminate-it.html, accessed 25 March 2019. It seems Trump was persuaded by his advisors and some Republican politicians to take a softer approach (Ibid.).

  49. 49.

    Office of the United States Trade Representative, Summary of Objectives for NAFTA Renegotiations, November 2017, https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/Press/Releases/Nov%20Objectives%20Update.pdf, accessed 25 March 2019. The list of objectives is much longer. Those listed here are connected with promises made by Trump during his election campaign.

  50. 50.

    The text of the agreement is available at Office of the United States Trade Representative, United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement/agreement-between, accessed 28 March 2019.

  51. 51.

    J Murphy and N Sherman, USMCA trade deal: Who gets what from ‘new Nafta’?, BBC, 1 October 2018, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-45674261, accessed 28 March 2019.

  52. 52.

    It seems that the Trump Administration was eager to deliver a deal that could be presented as a victory (and fulfillment of one of the electoral promises). The content of the deal was apparently less important. Since trade between the US and Korea is much smaller than intra-NAFTA trade, it was also easier, from a political and technical point of view, to conclude the agreement.

  53. 53.

    S Lester, The First Trump Trade Deal: The KORUS Renegotiation May Be Complete, International Economic Law and Policy Blog, 26 March 2018, http://worldtradelaw.typepad.com/ielpblog/2018/03/the-first-trump-trade-deal-the-korus-renegotiation-may-be-complete.html, accessed 28 March 2019.

  54. 54.

    International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, South Korea, U.S. Clinch Agreement in Principle to Update KORUS Trade Pact, Bridges, 29 March 2018, https://www.ictsd.org/bridges-news/bridges/news/south-korea-us-clinch-agreement-in-principle-to-update-korus-trade-pact, accessed 28 March 2019; AF Campbell, Trump’s new trade deal with South Korea, explained, Vox, 24 September 2018, https://www.vox.com/2018/9/24/17883506/trump-korea-trade-deal-korus, accessed 28 March 2019.

  55. 55.

    Legally speaking, tariffs on solar panels and large washing machines were introduced as safeguard measures, while additional tariffs on steel and aluminum were introduced under the GATT’s national security exception.

  56. 56.

    Proclamation 9694 of January 23, 2018 To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition from Imports of Large Residential Washers, 83 FR 3553; Proclamation 9693 of January 23, 2018 To Facilitate Positive Adjustment to Competition from Imports of Certain Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaic Cells (Whether or Not Partially or Fully Assembled into Other Products) and for Other Purposes, 83 FR 3541.

  57. 57.

    Proclamation 9705 of March 8, 2018 Adjusting Imports of Steel into the United States, 83 FR 11625; Proclamation 9704 of March 8, 2018 Adjusting Imports of Aluminum into the United States, 83 FR 11619. The use of the security exception makes it easier to grant the exception to NATO members and other American military allies.

  58. 58.

    See, e.g., Proclamation 9711 of March 22, 2018, Adjusting Imports of Steel into the United States, 83 FR 13361. Note, however, that eventually the EU, Canada and Mexico were subjected to the steel and aluminum tariffs as well (starting as of 31 May 2018).

  59. 59.

    United States – Certain Measures on Steel and Aluminium Products, Request for consultations by China, WT/DS544/1, the current status of the request is available at https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds544_e.htm, accessed 28 March 2019.

  60. 60.

    A Kaja et al., China Raises Tariffs on 128 U.S. Imports in Retaliation for U.S. Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Tariffs, Global Policy Watch, 3 April 2018, https://www.globalpolicywatch.com/2018/04/china-raises-tariffs-on-128-u-s-imports-in-retaliation-for-u-s-section-232-steel-and-aluminum-tariffs/, accessed 28 March 2019.

  61. 61.

    Office of the United States Trade Representative, Notice of Determination and Request for Public Comment Concerning Proposed Determination of Action Pursuant to Section 301: China’s Acts, Policies, and Practices Related to Technology Transfer, Intellectual Property, and Innovation, Docket No. USTR-2018-0005, 20 June 2018.

  62. 62.

    China – Certain Measures Concerning the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights, Request for consultations by the United States, WT/DS542/1, the current status of the request is available at https://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/dispu_e/cases_e/ds542_e.htm, accessed 28 March 2019.

  63. 63.

    S Holland and D Lawder, Trade dispute escalates as Trump threatens $100 billion more in China tariffs, Reuters, 5 April 2018, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-china/trade-dispute-escalates-as-trump-threatens-100-billion-more-in-china-tariffs-idUSKCN1HC1RW, accessed 28 March 2019.

  64. 64.

    Office of the United States Trade Representative, Statement by U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Section 301 Action, https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases/2018/july/statement-us-trade-representative, accessed 28 March 2019.

  65. 65.

    See generally Yoo and Ahn 2016.

  66. 66.

    The terms of Appellate Body Members Ricardo Ramirez-Hernandez (Mexico) and Peter Van den Bossche (Belgium) ended in June and December 2017, respectively, while Kim Hyun-chong (South Korea) resigned in July 2017 in order to take up the post of Minister of Commerce in his home state. The term of office of Shree Baboo Chekitan Servansing (Mauritius) expired on 30 September 2018.

  67. 67.

    U.S. Mission Geneva, Statements by the United States at the Meeting of the WTO Dispute Settlement Body, Geneva, 31 August 2017, https://geneva.usmission.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/290/Aug15.DSB_.Stmt_.as-delivered.fin_.public.pdf, accessed 28 March 2019. Note that the rules of procedure for appellate review provide that Appellate Body members may complete the appeals they have been assigned even after their terms expire.

  68. 68.

    Center for Strategic and International Studies, U.S. Trade Policy Priorities: Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative, 18 September 2017, https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/170918_U.S._Trade_Policy_Priorities_Robert_Lighthizer_transcript.pdf?kYkVT9pyKE.PK.utw_u0QVoewnVi2j5L, accessed 28 March 2019. Ambassador Lighthizer particularly mentioned the WTO dumping and countervailing-duty cases.

  69. 69.

    Ibid.

  70. 70.

    For additional details see M Elsig et al., Trump is fighting an open war on trade. His stealth war on trade may be even more important, The Washington Post, 27 September 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/09/27/trump-is-fighting-an-open-war-on-trade-his-stealth-war-on-trade-may-be-even-more-important/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.a4107fbc62f4, accessed 28 March 2019.

  71. 71.

    See Trump’s speech at the rally in Phoenix, Arizona on 11 July 2015, YouTube, Trump mentions the “Silent Majority”, 19 July 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhiju9SB_Q, accessed 28 March 2019; see also N Fandos, Donald Trump Defiantly Rallies a New ‘Silent Majority’ in a Visit to Arizona, The New York Times, 11 July 2015, https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/12/us/politics/donald-trump-defiantly-rallies-a-new-silent-majority-in-a-visit-to-arizona.html, accessed 28 March 2019. The ‘silent majority’ phrasing relates to the Richard Nixon’s famous reference in 1969 to the ‘silent majority’ of conservative Americans who did not join in the protests against the Vietnam war or participate in the counter-culture, and had therefore not had an active voice in political debates. On the revival of this theme by contemporary US populists, see MD Lassiter, Who Speaks for the Silent Majority?, The New York Times, 2 November 2011, https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/03/opinion/populism-and-the-silent-majority.html, accessed 28 March 2019.

  72. 72.

    See the transcript of Trump’s speech in Monessen, Pennsylvania on 28 June 2016, Time, Read Donald Trump’s Speech on Trade, 28 June 2016, http://time.com/4386335/donald-trump-trade-speech-transcript/, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  73. 73.

    A Pappas, Donald Trump To Blast Obama Trade Pact in Radio Ads: ‘A Bad, Bad Deal’, The Daily Caller, 6 May 2015, https://dailycaller.com/2015/05/06/donald-trump-to-blast-obama-trade-pact-in-radio-ads-a-bad-bad-deal/, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  74. 74.

    SA Miller, Trump vows to cancel Asia trade deal as president – and puts NAFTA on notice, The Washington Times, 28 June 2016, https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/28/donald-trump-vows-to-cancel-trans-pacific-partners/, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  75. 75.

    N Rojas, Donald Trump calls Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal ‘a rape of our country’, International Business Times, 29 July 2016, https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/donald-trump-calls-trans-pacific-partnership-trade-deal-rape-our-country-1567944, accessed 2 April 2019 (emphasis added).

  76. 76.

    See the transcript of Trump’s speech in Monessen, Pennsylvania on 28 June 2016, Time, Read Donald Trump’s Speech on Trade, 28 June 2016, http://time.com/4386335/donald-trump-trade-speech-transcript/, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  77. 77.

    D Smith, Trump withdraws from Trans-Pacific Partnership amid flurry of orders, The Guardian, 23 January 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/23/donald-trump-first-orders-trans-pacific-partnership-tpp, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  78. 78.

    See the transcript of Trump’s speech in Monessen, Pennsylvania on 28 June 2016, Time, Read Donald Trump’s Speech on Trade, 28 June 2016, http://time.com/4386335/donald-trump-trade-speech-transcript/, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  79. 79.

    Ibid. (emphasis added).

  80. 80.

    DJ Trump, Let Me Ask America a Question, The Wall Street Journal, 14 April 2016, https://www.wsj.com/articles/let-me-ask-america-a-question-1460675882, accessed 28 March 2019 (emphasis added).

  81. 81.

    Petri and Plummer 2016.

  82. 82.

    JP Meltzer, The Trans-Pacific Partnership is a win for all parties, Brookings Institute, 9 December 2015, https://brook.gs/2g0nAxR, accessed 28 March 2019.

  83. 83.

    E Gerwin, The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Small Business: Boosting Exports and Inclusive Growth, Progressive Policy Institute, 20 November 2015, http://www.progressivepolicy.org/issues/economy/the-trans-pacific-partnership-and-small-business-boosting-exports-and-inclusive-growth/, accessed 28 March 2019.

  84. 84.

    L Mascaro, Obama’s Pacific trade deal becomes a surprising political casualty of 2016 campaign, Los Angeles Times, 27 July 2016, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-pol-tpp-trade-setbacks-20160727-snap-story.html, accessed 28 March 2019.

  85. 85.

    The Economist, Yes, I’d Lie to You, 10 September 2016, https://www.economist.com/briefing/2016/09/10/yes-id-lie-to-you, accessed 28 March 2019.

  86. 86.

    Koskenniemi 2009, at 15.

  87. 87.

    Protectionism could just as easily have been the preferred policy of the ‘elite’, in which case the ‘populist’ position would be the pro-liberalization one. See, e.g., the statement of William Jennings Bryan, an important figure in the history of the American populism: ‘I believe that instead of preventing foreign countries from deluging us with something which they can sell us cheaper than we can produce it, we had better let the flood come.’ (WJ Bryan, Extracts from his speeches in the House of Representatives, 1892–1894, https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015068324618;view=1up;seq=3, accessed 8 April 2019, at 5).

  88. 88.

    See, e.g., Gusterson 2017. See also L Elliott, Populism is the result of global economic failure, The Guardian, 26 March 2017, https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/26/populism-is-the-result-of-global-economic-failure, accessed 15 October 2018; N Klein, see n 2 above; Judis 2016, at 35–55; The Economist, The new political divide, 30 July 2016, https://www.economist.com/leaders/2016/07/30/the-new-political-divide, accessed 28 March 2019.

  89. 89.

    See, e.g., Konings 2012; Guardino 2018.

  90. 90.

    Konings 2012, at 617.

  91. 91.

    Ibid.

  92. 92.

    Guardino 2018, at 2.

  93. 93.

    Konings 2012, at 612.

  94. 94.

    DJ Trump, Donald J. Trump Contract with the American Voter https://assets.donaldjtrump.com/CONTRACT_FOR_THE_VOTER.pdf, accessed 28 March 2019.

  95. 95.

    An online tool that monitors various deregulation initiatives undertaken by the Trump administration can be found at the Brookings Institution, Brookings Deregulation Tracker, 18 October 2018, https://brook.gs/2JOnIuj, accessed 28 March 2019.

  96. 96.

    A full list of environmental regulations and policies that are on the Trump’s deregulatory agenda can be found at M Horn, 24 Environmental Rules Trump is Rolling Back, 23 August 2018, https://www.bna.com/24-environmental-rules-n73014482055/, accessed 28 March 2019.

  97. 97.

    C McNicholas et al., Workers’ health, safety, and pay are among the casualties of Trump’s war on regulations, Economic Policy Institute Report, 29 January 2018, https://www.epi.org/files/pdf/140919.pdf, accessed 28 March 2019.

  98. 98.

    S Fenton, Donald Trump removes anti-corruption rules for oil and gas companies, Independent, 15 February 2017, https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-oil-gas-anti-corruption-remove-rules-deregulation-energy-industry-companies-a7581691.html, accessed 28 March 2019.

  99. 99.

    See, e.g., E Sherman, Congress just approved a bill to dismantle parts of the Dodd-Frank banking rule, NBC News, 23 May 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/business/economy/congress-just-approved-bill-dismantle-parts-dodd-frank-banking-rule-n876516, accessed 28 March 2019.

  100. 100.

    In this context, it was argued in particular that Obamacare not only imposed overly high costs on business but also constituted an unwarranted intrusion into the affairs of private businesses and individuals.

  101. 101.

    LJ Korb, Trump’s Defense Budget, Center for American Progress, 28 February 2018, https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/news/2018/02/28/447248/trumps-defense-budget/, accessed 28 March 2019.

  102. 102.

    The most famous initiative pursued by the Trump administration in the area of border security concerns the construction of a wall at the border between the US and Mexico. There are, however, a number of other border control policies and programs that have been implemented over the last three years.

  103. 103.

    See, e.g., D Matthews, Trump’s 2019 budget: what he cuts, how much he cuts, and why it matters, Vox, 12 February 2018, https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/2/12/16996832/trump-budget-2019-release-explained, accessed 28 March 2019.

  104. 104.

    Other notable examples of neoliberal populists include President Carlos Menem in Argentina (1989–1999), President Alberto Fujimori in Peru (1990–2000) and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (2003–current) in Turkey.

  105. 105.

    ‘Trickle down’ refers, here, to policies that improve the spending and investing power of the financially better off under the theory that this will expand the economy as a whole and eventually create more wealth for everyone. See also Guardino 2018, at 8.

  106. 106.

    See, e.g., The Economist, Donald Trump’s Economic Policy Has Not Been as Bad as Expected, 13 January 2018, https://www.economist.com/united-states/2018/01/13/donald-trumps-economic-policy-has-not-been-as-bad-as-expected, accessed 28 March 2019; D Bessner and M Sparke, Don’t Let His Trade Policy Fool You: Trump Is A Neoliberal, The Washington Post, 22 March 2017, https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/22/dont-let-his-trade-policy-fool-you-trump-is-a-neoliberal/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.def762fb1646, accessed 28 March 2019.

  107. 107.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Kozminski University, Warsaw, Poland

    Lukasz Gruszczynski

  2. HAS CSS Institute for Legal Studies, Budapest, Hungary

    Lukasz Gruszczynski

  3. Central European University, Budapest, Hungary

    Jessica Lawrence

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    Wouter G. Werner

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Gruszczynski, L., Lawrence, J. (2019). Trump, International Trade and Populism. In: Nijman, J., Werner, W. (eds) Netherlands Yearbook of International Law 2018. Netherlands Yearbook of International Law, vol 49. T.M.C. Asser Press, The Hague. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-6265-331-3_2

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