On April 2, President Trump announced a sweeping policy of reciprocal tariffs aimed at severing America’s economic dependence on China. His goal: to reshore American industry and restore national self-sufficiency.

How can the United States defend its independence while relying on Chinese ships, machinery, and computers? It can’t.

Tariffs aren’t just about economics. They are a matter of national survival.

But time is short. Trump has just four years to prove that tariffs can bring back American manufacturing. The challenge is steep — but not unprecedented. Nations like South Korea and Japan have done it. So has the United States in earlier eras.

We can do it again. Here’s how.

Escaping the altar of globalism

Tariffs were never just about economics. They’re about self-suffiency.

A self-sufficient America doesn’t depend on foreign powers for its prosperity — or its defense. Political independence means nothing without economic independence. America’s founders learned that lesson the hard way: No industry, no nation.

The entire supply chain lives offshore. America doesn’t just import chips — it imports the ability to make them. That’s a massive strategic vulnerability.

During the Revolutionary War, British soldiers weren’t the only threat. British factories were just as dangerous. The colonies relied on British imports for everything from textiles to muskets. Without manufacturing, they had no means to wage war.

Victory only became possible when France began supplying the revolution, sending over 80,000 firearms. That lifeline turned the tide.

After the Revolution, George Washington wrote:

A free people ought not only to be armed, but … their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories as tend to render them independent of others for essential, particularly military, supplies.

Washington’s first major legislative achievement was the Tariff Act of 1789. Two years later, Alexander Hamilton released his “Report on Manufactures,” a foundational blueprint for American industrial strategy. Hamilton didn’t view tariffs as mere taxes — he saw them as the engine for national development.

For nearly two centuries, America followed Hamilton’s lead. Under high tariffs, the nation prospered and industrialized. In fact, the U.S. maintained the highest average tariff rates in the 19th century. By 1870, America produced one-quarter of the world’s manufactured goods. By 1945, it produced half. The United States wasn’t just an economic powerhouse — it was the world’s factory.

That changed in the 1970s. Washington elites embraced globalism. The result?

America has run trade deficits every year since 1974. The cumulative total now exceeds $25 trillion in today’s dollars.

Meanwhile, American companies have poured $6.7 trillion into building factories, labs, and infrastructure overseas. And as if outsourcing weren’t bad enough, foreign governments and corporations have stolen nearly $10 trillion worth of American intellectual property and technology.

The consequences have been devastating.

Since the 1980s, more than 60,000 factories have moved overseas — to China, Mexico, and Europe. The result? The United States has lost over 5 million well-paying manufacturing jobs.

This industrial exodus didn’t just hollow out factories — it gutted middle-class bargaining power. Once employers gained the ability to offshore production, they no longer had to reward rising productivity with higher wages. That historic link — more output, more pay — was severed.

Today, American workers face a brutal equation: Take the deal on the table, or the job goes to China. The “race to the bottom” isn’t a slogan. It’s an economic policy — and it’s killing the American middle class.

Offshoring has crippled American industry, turning the United States into a nation dependent on foreign suppliers.

Technology offers the clearest example. In 2024, the U.S. imported $763 billion in advanced technology products. That includes a massive trade deficit in semiconductors, which power the brains of everything from fighter jets to toasters. If imports stopped, America would grind to a halt.

Worse, America doesn’t even make the machines needed to produce chips. Photolithography systems — critical to chip fabrication — come from the Netherlands. They’re shipped to Taiwan, where the chips are made and then sold back to the U.S.

The entire supply chain lives offshore. America doesn’t just import chips — it imports the ability to make them. That’s not just dependency. That’s a massive strategic vulnerability.

And the problem extends far beyond tech. The U.S. imports its steel, ball bearings, cars, and oceangoing ships. China now builds far more commercial vessels than the United States — by orders of magnitude.

How can America call itself a global power when it can no longer command the seas?

What happens if China stops shipping silicon chips to the U.S.? Or if it cuts off something as basic as shoes or light bulbs? No foreign power should hold that kind of leverage over the American people. And while China does, America isn’t truly free. No freer than a newborn clinging to a bottle. Dependence breeds servitude.

Make America self-sufficient again

Trump has precious little time to prove that reindustrializing America isn’t just a slogan — it’s possible. But he won’t get there with half-measures. “Reciprocal” tariffs? That’s a distraction. Pausing tariffs for 90 days to sweet-talk foreign leaders? That delays progress. Spooking the stock market with mixed signals? That sabotages momentum.

To succeed, Trump must start with one urgent move: establish high, stable tariffs — now, not later.

Tariffs must be high enough to make reshoring profitable. If it’s still cheaper to build factories in China or Vietnam and just pay a tariff, then the tariff becomes little more than a tax — raising revenue but doing nothing to bring industry home.

What’s the right rate? Time will tell, but Trump doesn’t have time. He should impose immediate overkill tariffs of 100% on day one to force the issue. Better to overshoot than fall short.

That figure may sound extreme, but consider this: Under the American System, the U.S. maintained average tariffs above 30% — without forklifts, without container ships, and without globalized supply chains. In modern terms, we’d need to go higher just to match that level of protection.

South Korea industrialized with average tariffs near 40%. And the Koreans had key advantages — cheap labor and a weak currency. America has neither. Tariffs must bridge the gap.

Just as important: Tariffs must remain stable. No company will invest trillions to reindustrialize the U.S. if rates shift every two weeks. They’ll ride out the storm, often with help from foreign governments eager to keep their access to American consumers.

President Trump must pick a strong, flat tariff — and stick to it.

This is our last chance

Tariffs must also serve their purpose: reindustrialization. If they don’t advance that goal, they’re useless.

Start with raw materials. Industry needs them cheap. That means zero tariffs on inputs like rare earth minerals, iron, and oil. Energy independence doesn’t come from taxing fuel — it comes from unleashing it.

Next, skip tariffs on goods America can’t produce. We don’t grow coffee or bananas. So taxing them does nothing for American workers or factories. It’s a scam — a cash grab disguised as policy.

Tariff revenue should fund America’s comeback. Imports won’t vanish overnight, which means revenue will flow. Use it wisely.

Cut taxes for domestic manufacturers. Offer low-interest loans for large-scale industrial projects. American industry runs on capital — Washington should help supply it.

A more innovative use of tariff revenue? Help cover the down payments for large-scale industrial projects. American businesses often struggle to raise capital for major builds. This plan fixes that.

Secure the loans against the land, then recoup them with interest when the land sells. It’s a smart way to jump-start American reindustrialization and build capital fast.

But let’s be clear: Tariffs alone won’t save us.

Trump must work with Congress to slash taxes and regulations. America needs a business environment that rewards risk and investment, not one that punishes it.

That means rebuilding crumbling infrastructure — railways, ports, power grids, and fiber networks. It means unlocking cheap energy from coal, hydro, and next-gen nuclear.

This is the final chance to reindustrialize. Another decade of globalism will leave American industry too hollowed out to recover. Great Britain was once the workshop of the world. Now it’s a cautionary tale.

Trump must hold the line. Impose high, stable tariffs. Reshore the factories. And bring the American dream roaring back to life.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Tariffs, Trade war, China, South korea, Japan, Manufacturing, Reshoring, Industry, Semiconductors, Computers, Taiwan, Netherlands, Regulations, Infrastructure, Supply chain, Shipping, Shipbuilding, Technology, George washington, France, Tariff act of 1789, Alexander hamilton, Self-sufficient, Employment, Productivity, Wage growth 

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk’s decision to scale back his role at the Department of Government Efficiency sparked the media frenzy we all expected.

Corporate media outlets wasted no time celebrating. They’ve declared the project dead, mocking the effort that has — by every metric — cut bureaucratic waste, exposed entrenched fraud, and disrupted the comfortable routine of Washington’s permanent class.

We didn’t come this far just to hand victory back to the bureaucrats.

In just 100 days, Musk brought more transparency and urgency to federal operations than most “public servants” manage in a career. Under his leadership, the DOGE slashed bloated budgets, shut down globalist slush funds like USAID, and launched investigations into waste across the Departments of Education, Social Security, and more.

DOGE isn’t just a project. It’s a movement. And it didn’t start with Elon Musk — it started when the American people sent Donald J. Trump back to the White House with a mandate to finish the job.

Voters didn’t re-elect Trump just for tough talk. They sent him to dismantle the unaccountable, tax-dollar-burning administrative state that’s grown fat off politics as usual. And the DOGE delivered.

Now, Musk reducing his hours doesn’t mean the mission is over. Far from it. The next phase requires every agency leader who believes in reform, every state and local official who sees the model working, and every grassroots patriot who wants real accountability to step up.

Ignore the media narrative. CNN, MSNBC, and the rest of the usual suspects are already spinning this as a defeat. They won’t say it out loud, but what they really hate is simple: Musk asked federal employees to justify their jobs.

He demanded answers. He forced Cabinet secretaries to make hard choices. That’s not chaos. That’s reform. And it scared the right people.

So now it’s up to us. Trump provided the mandate. Musk brought the firepower. The American people must now carry this momentum forward— to local government, to state agencies, and to every inch of federal bureaucracy still resisting change.

We didn’t come this far just to hand victory back to the bureaucrats. The real work is just beginning.

​Opinion & analysis, Donald trump, Elon musk, Doge, Waste fraud and abuse, Department of government efficiency, Department of education, Usaid, Spending, Administrative state, Deep state, 100 days, Media bias, Cnn, Msnbc, The atlantic, Washington post, Reform, Social security, Irs 

The Trump administration said it would back down after numerous court challenges to a crackdown on the legal status of international students in the U.S.

Attorneys representing the government in numerous cases said that the legal statuses of the international students would be restored while Immigration and Customs Enforcement establishes better procedures to determine which should be terminated.

‘It’s obvious that the Trump administration spent the four years of Biden plotting their revenge on the immigration system.’

Dozens of lawsuits were filed in the wake of the decision to terminate hundreds of student visas and other immigration authorizations.

Some students alleged that they were told to leave the country over minuscule infractions, while others say they didn’t know why they were being asked to leave. Some claimed that they were going into hiding over the orders.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Kurlan read a statement about the restoration of legal status in an Oakland, California, courtroom. A similar statement was about the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System, read by others in other cases.

“ICE is developing a policy that will provide a framework for SEVIS record terminations,” the statement reads. “Until such a policy is issued, the SEVIS records for plaintiff(s) in this case (and other similarly situated plaintiffs) will remain active or shall be re-activated if not currently active, and ICE will not modify the record solely based on the NCIC finding that resulted in the recent SEVIS record termination.”

The Associated Press said the terminations affected about 1,200 students, some of whom responded by leaving the country.

One of the attorneys for a terminated-status student opined that President Donald Trump had plotted the decision as a kind of revenge against the immigration system during the first and only term of former President Joe Biden.

“By now it’s obvious that the Trump administration spent the four years of Biden plotting their revenge on the immigration system,” said Cleveland-based immigration attorney Jath Shao. “But once some brave students and lawyers went to the courts — the administration’s defenders were unable or unwilling to explain the rationale.”

Democrats and other critics of the administration have accused Trump of acting unconstitutionally in some of the actions taken to fulfill his promise for mass deportations.

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​Ice student visa revocation, Trump vs international students, Ice backs down, Student visa crackdown, Politics 

Hey, automakers: Enough with the upsells!

According to a new survey, most drivers are fed up with being asked to pay subscription fees for features such as heated seats or remote start that are already built into their cars.

Automakers argue that it’s about safety or innovation, but locking horsepower behind a $1,200 Mercedes paywall feels more like a shakedown.

This is a loud signal to brands like BMW, Ford, and GM. Are drivers done with the constant upsells, or could subscriptions still find a sweet spot? Here’s why consumers aren’t buying it, what automakers are missing, and how it shapes your next ride.

Missed connections

For its 2025 State of Connected Car Apps report, Smartcar (no relation to to Mercedes-Benz-owned Smart brand vehicles) polled over 1,000 drivers across the U.S. and Europe.

The findings: 76% won’t touch automakers’ connected services, free or paid.

Take Ford’s BlueCruise hands-free driving, for example: $495 a year after a 90-day trial. Or Mercedes’ $1,200 annual horsepower boost for EQ electric models. Even Toyota’s $8 monthly remote start fee.

After years of free trials and upsells, drivers surveyed in 2025 hit a tipping point. These features no longer feel optional but predatory. Yet 56% happily use third-party apps like Waze, which deliver real-time traffic data without fees.

Of the 24% who do subscribe, it’s nearly even: 49% pay, 51% get it free with the car. Meanwhile, 40% of drivers don’t even realize these services exist in their vehicles.

Hitting a wall

Automakers expect 96% of new cars to be “connected” by 2030 — Wi-Fi, apps, the works — but with three-quarters opting out, their strategy’s hitting a wall.

The resistance comes down to a few key issues. Subscription fatigue is real. Between streaming services and daily expenses, adding car fees feels like a breaking point. BMW’s 2022 attempt to charge for heated seats sparked outrage, and Smartcar’s data backs it up: 77% see these as pure profit plays, while 69% would switch brands to avoid paywalled features.

Imagine buying a $40,000 car, only to find the full stereo locked behind a $150 annual fee. It’s a hard pass for most.

Value is another sticking point. Cox Automotive’s 2023 survey showed 53% might accept subscriptions if they cut the car’s up-front cost, but back then, only 21% even knew the idea existed. By 2025, awareness has grown, but appeal has shrunk. AutoPacific data reveals EV buyers are slightly more open — 23% would subscribe — compared to 16% for gas cars.

Still, that’s a small group. Drivers want solutions, not revenue streams for manufacturers.

Privacy adds a darker layer. Mozilla’s 2024 report gave all 25 major automakers a failing grade on security standards. Cars track speed, braking, even phone contacts if synced, sharing it with manufacturers, insurers, and third parties.

Data sent to insurers can raise premiums based on hard braking or late-night drives, a reality that GM drivers faced in 2024 when habits were shared with LexisNexis without clear consent. Kaspersky’s 2024 survey found 72% of U.S. drivers reject this tracking, and 71% would opt for older cars to escape it.

Automakers argue that it’s about safety or innovation, but locking horsepower behind a $1,200 Mercedes paywall feels more like a shakedown. That explains the overwhelming pushback.

Cash cow

These companies are chasing big numbers. McKinsey forecasts $300-$400 billion in autonomous driving revenue by 2035, with subscriptions as a cash cow.

Tesla’s Full Self-Driving costs $12,000 up front or $200 monthly, while GM’s Super Cruise is $25 a month after three free years. Over-the-air updates unlock hardware already installed, like BMW’s heated seats. Cox Automotive found 65% like short-term trials, but 49% would keep cars longer if features didn’t vanish behind paywalls later.

There’s a glimmer of hope for manufacturers. Smartcar notes that only 11% are fully against subscriptions. Half would use more if prices dropped, say $5 a month instead of $50. Volvo cut its Care program from $1,800 to $775 for some models after pushback.

Value proposition

Brands like Subaru offer free Starlink safety alerts — crash detection and SOS calls — proving subscriptions can win fans when they prioritize drivers over profits. Navigation that outshines Google Maps or alerts that prevent collisions could shift the tide.

Basics like heated seats or stereo features are a different story. If those are locked, many would walk away. Used cars offer an out: 71% of Kaspersky’s drivers are eyeing older models to sidestep this trend.

The Smartcar report highlights a disconnect: 76% of drivers are drawing a line. Automakers have a chance to pivot, but it’s on them to prove subscriptions aren’t just another fee. Would you pay for these features, or is it a deal-breaker? Your take matters.

​Subscription services, Lifestyle, Mercedes, Tesla, Car buyers, Auto industry, Align cars 

A Michigan DoorDash driver brutally beat up a restaurant owner earlier this month, police said. Believe it or not, the victim said the suspect got angry — and violent — following a restroom use denial.

Police in St. Clair Shores said 20-year-old Daveon Jahmel Godbold of Eastpointe went to Amigos Street Tacos in the 22000 block of Greater Mack just after 7 p.m. April 12 and got into an argument with the owner, WJBK-TV reported. St. Clair Shores is about a half hour northeast of Detroit.

‘He was acting so violent, and he smashed the food on the floor.’

The restaurant owner told the station it all started over the business’ restroom.

“I was in the middle of fixing the bathroom,” the owner told WJBK. “It wasn’t done yet; it wasn’t connected to piping or water. He didn’t care; he used the bathroom anyway.”

With that, the owner told the station he refused to give Godbold the food order, and an argument ensued — and after that, violence.

“He took the food. He threw it on the floor,” the victim told WJBK. “He was acting so violent, and he smashed the food on the floor.”

The owner told the station that Godbold departed the restaurant — but then returned not long after with another person, and then the physical attack went down.

Surveillance video inside the restaurant shows a male that police say is Godbold jumping over the counter and attacking the victim, WJBK reported.

Godbold also was accused of damaging a restaurant window, the station said.

WJBK said Godbold was arrested during a later traffic stop.

Now Godbold is facing a long list of serious charges. The station said he was arraigned April 15 on charges of robbery, resisting and obstructing, malicious destruction of property, aggravated assault, and delivery/manufacture of marijuana.

He was given a $25,000 personal bond, WJBK said.

You can view a video report here about the incident. It includes surveillance video of the physical attack against the owner of Amigos Street Tacos.

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​Physical attack, St. clair shores, Michigan, Doordash driver, Restroom dispute, Arrest, Property destruction charge, Aggravated assault charge, Resisting arrest charge, Video, Robbery charge, Marijuana charge, Amigos street tacos, Crime 

California was set to release an illegal immigrant named Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano, who killed two American teenagers in a drunk driving crash — despite his 10-year sentence and ICE detainer.

However, California “was set” to release him, as border czar Tom Homan and the DOJ stepped up to the plate.

“Everybody asks why I get so emotional on network TV, why I get emotional when I testify. Because I’ve met hundreds of angel moms and dads and hear every story. I’ll never forget any of those stories. It’s just a tragedy,” Homan said in an interview on Fox News.

“But I’ll make this commitment right now. I’ll work for Secretary Noem on this case, and I guarantee you, if they don’t honor a detainer who have ICE agents outside that facility, to take custody of this individual and deport him … we will prosecute him, and we will deport him,” Homan continued.

The illegal immigrant has been deported several times already, which Homan notes makes him a felon.

“Re-entering the country at the point of deportation is a felony,” Homan explained.

The DOJ has also announced that they will be pursuing federal charges, and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt explained as well that “if he is to be released, he will immediately be transferred into ICE custody.”

However, as seen all across the mainstream media, the Democrats are pulling out all the stops to keep these illegal immigrants protected and in the United States.

“That’s what the Democrats are hoping for now, that they can turn America into a one-party state, a blanket amnesty for however many 50 million illegals that are here,” Blaze Media digital strategist Logan Hall tells Sara Gonzales on “Sara Gonzales Unfiltered.”

“That is the goal. That is why all these judges are fighting to keep all these illegals here. They want America to be blue forever and for us to never be able to deport these people who broke our laws and invaded our sovereignty,” he continues.

Democrats have been calling for the immigrants’ rights to “due process” — which Gonzales finds not only absurd, but heartless.

“You’ve got the Laken Rileys. You’ve got the Rachel Morins. You’ve got all of these American citizens who I would say were denied due process. That’s what the Democrats latest buzzword is — due process. They were denied due process whenever they were killed, brutally murdered, for no reason,” she adds.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara’s no-holds-barred take to news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

​Video, Free, Camera phone, Sharing, Video phone, Upload, Youtube.com, Sara gonzales unfiltered, Sara gonzales, The blaze, Blazetv, Blaze news, Blaze podcasts, Blaze podcast network, Blaze media, Blaze online, Tom homan, Kristi noem, The department of justice, Illegal immigration, Illegal immigrants, Oscar eduardo ortega anguiano 

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said that one of the three illegal aliens involved in the arrest of a former New Mexico judge had images of a decapitated victim on his cell phone.

Bondi offered the revelation as evidence that the illegal alien allegedly harbored by former Judge Jose “Joel” Cano was a member of the vicious Tren de Aragua gang from El Salvador. Cano resigned from his office after his residence was searched in February, and he was arrested on Friday.

‘Not only that, this TDA member, and he had on a necklace that said “kill,” something about death, he had tattoos all over him.’

Democrats have objected to the arrest and accused the administration of abusing government powers, but Bondi appeared on Fox News in order to deny the allegations. Fox host Sandra Smith said the illegal alien was linked to the gang through clothing, tattoos, and text messages, before asking Bondi what charges the former judge and his wife faced.

“Judge Cano, soon to be former Judge Cano — his charges were just unsealed. He is charged with obstruction. … He admitted post-Miranda. He took one of the TDA members’ cell phones himself — took it, beat it with a hammer, destroyed it, then walked the pieces to a city dumpster to dispose of it to protect him,” said Bondi.

“The wife is also charged with destroying evidence,” she continued. “Not only that. This TDA member — and he had on a necklace that said ‘kill,’ something about death. He had tattoos all over him. He also had on his cell phone pictures of two decapitated victims — two victims, decapitated!” she emphasized. “Gruesome photos!”

She went on to say that the former judge and his wife gave assault rifles with suppressors that belonged to their daughter to the alleged gang members. The affidavit said they went with the TDA members with the guns to a shooting range.

“This is the last person that we want in our country, nor will we ever tolerate a judge or anyone else harboring them!” she concluded.

Video of the allegations was posted to the White House’s rapid response account on social media.

Cano has claimed that he didn’t know the three were linked to the gang and that the first time he heard of it was when his home in Las Cruces was raided.

“Let me be as crystal clear as possible,” Cano wrote, according to KOAT-TV. “The very first time I ever heard that the boys could possibly have any association with Tren de Aragua was when I was informed of that by [the] agents on the day of the raid.”

He further claimed that he saw documentation saying they were not subject to deportation and that their asylum claims were being processed. To the charges that he took them to a shooting range, he said that he took no firearms or ammunition to the range and that he and his wife were merely spectators.

Cano has been permanently barred from serving as a judge by the New Mexico Supreme Court.

Trump has designated the Tren de Aragua gang as a terror group so that he could invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and summarily deport those identified as members. Democrats and other critics of the administration have charged that Trump has improperly deported people with dubious connections to the gang without due process.

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​Pam bondi vs tren de aragua, Tren de aragua arrest, Nm judge arrested, Harboring terrorist aliens, Politics