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Trump’s man of steel posturing makes America weaker
Trying to protect the steel and aluminium industries as a path to nation-building is a doomed project.
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Trying to protect the steel and aluminium industries as a path to nation-building is a doomed project that will make America weaker, not stronger, says the writer.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
David Fickling
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If you want to reduce international trade and foreign relations to chest-beating displays of dominance, sooner or later you’re going to end up fighting about steel.
Hard, unbending, corrosion-resistant and essential to producing macho artefacts like skyscrapers, cars and armaments, the metal is indelibly associated with images of strength. US President Donald Trump echoed that imagery in a photoshopped image last year showing himself as Superman, nicknamed the Man of Steel, on his Truth Social account.
