Trump’s Strategy Is Taking Effect: Dozens of Countries Now 'Dying to Make a Deal'
Critics of President Donald Trump—both fierce opponents and half-hearted allies—have often misunderstood his motivations and methods.
That’s especially true for those entrenched in the financial elite, who believe that markets always bounce back thanks to government intervention, and who fail to grasp that Trump’s firm stance on tariffs and his relentless fight against the deep state are the very reasons his working-class base remains so loyal.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Sunday, Trump shared with reporters that his newly enacted tariffs—which he described as “Liberation Day”—are already bearing fruit. According to the Associated Press, leaders from more than 50 countries have now approached him, “dying to make a deal.”
“I spoke to a lot of leaders, European, Asian, from all over the world,” Trump said. “They’re dying to make a deal. And I said, we’re not going to have deficits with your country. We’re not going to do that, because to me a deficit is a loss. We’re going to have surpluses or, at worst, going to be breaking even.”
As always, the president is prepared to negotiate hard. It’s his signature approach—one honed through decades of business: ask for more than you expect, secure what’s essential, and leave the other side thinking they got a win. He holds the upper hand now because the global trade structure has long benefited other nations. Trump is operating from a position of strength.
But this is more than just a tactic—it’s part of a broader mission.
In a recent interview with conservative commentator Tucker Carlson, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent outlined the administration’s perspective. Although the markets may be reacting nervously to Trump’s tariff strategy, the White House views this as a short-term sacrifice for a long-term gain.
“I’m not happy with what’s going on in the market today,” Bessent admitted. “But the distribution of equities across households — the top ten percent of Americans own 88 percent of equities, 88 percent of the stock market. The next 40 percent owns 12 percent of the stock market.”
Put simply, Bessent pointed out, half the country owns essentially no stocks.
“The bottom 50 [percent] has debt,” he continued. “They have credit card bills. They rent their homes. They have auto loans, and we’ve got to give them some relief.”
Carlson, clearly struck by the statement, jumped in before Bessent could finish another statistic: “That’s the message right there… Just as a bystander I’m like, ‘Wow. OK.’”
It’s no surprise then that many of the people protesting the president’s tariff push have never looked at the economy from the vantage point of the working class.
For example, in August, the Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed it had overstated job growth under President Biden’s leadership by more than 800,000 jobs over a one-year period. But Goldman Sachs brushed off the error, suggesting the discrepancy may simply be due to undercounting jobs held by illegal immigrants by 400,000 to 600,000—reassuring observers that the economy was still fundamentally sound.
At the same time, prominent investor Bill Ackman, despite backing Trump on issues like DEI and campus radicalism during the Israel-Hamas conflict, voiced strong objections to the tariff policies. In a post on X, he even suggested that someone in Trump’s orbit may have deliberately crashed the markets to enrich themselves and their allies.
Former Democratic donor Evan Barker shared Ackman’s concerns, but added his own reflection: “This whole situation is going to reveal who is on the side of the American worker and who is not.”
That moment of truth has arrived.
Those who assumed Trump would limit his efforts to slashing DEI programs and lowering grocery costs are now realizing the depth of his vision. Longtime supporters knew tariffs were part of the plan—and voted with that knowledge.
It’s time for entrenched powers—from the bureaucratic state to those enriched by paper assets—to be held accountable. Americans are no longer willing to tolerate a system where their hard-earned wealth is drained overseas through trade deficits or hoarded in the D.C. metro, home to four of the six richest counties in the U.S.
In the end, deals will be struck. The American people will benefit. And President Trump will keep pushing forward. This movement was never about small changes—it was about reshaping the entire system.