Dear allies of America, please don’t confuse our president for us | Robert Reich

Trump agenda isolates US from democratic allies, Reich warns

Muhammad Asghar | GlobalBeat

Former U.S. labor secretary Robert Reich told foreign governments that President Donald Trump does not speak for most Americans on trade, security and human rights.

Reich issued the appeal in a Guardian column published Thursday after Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on Canada, Mexico and the European Union.

The public letter marks the first time a senior Democratic figure has urged foreign capitals to treat the White House as an outlier rather than the voice of the United States.

Reich listed withdrawal from the Paris climate accord, threats to quit NATO and the imposition of sweeping tariffs as policies enacted “over the objections of a majority of Americans.” He warned that continuing to equate Trump with the country risked permanent damage to alliances that have governed the Western order since 1945.

The intervention reflects mounting alarm within the Democratic establishment that Trump’s second-term agenda will leave the United States diplomatically isolated. Polls by Reuters/Ipsos and Quinnipiac University in May showed roughly 6 in 10 voters disapprove of the president’s handling of foreign affairs, the highest negative rating of any post-war incumbent at this stage of a first term.

Reich, who served in the Clinton administration, wrote that foreign leaders should “bypass the White House” and build direct ties with state governors, mayors and corporate executives who still support open markets and collective security. He cited California’s climate pact with Canada and New York state’s financial agreement with the EU as templates for sub-federal cooperation.

Canadian officials privately welcomed the suggestion, two sources familiar with the discussions told GlobalBeat. Ottawa is examining whether provinces can sign side agreements with U.S. states on steel quotas and auto rules, the sources said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told reporters in Berlin that the EU will “look creatively at every level of contact” with the United States, but added that member states remain bound to negotiate with the recognized federal government. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said Paris preferred to wait for “a return to predictable American leadership” rather than decentralize relations.

Republican lawmakers dismissed Reich’s column as partisan sniping. Senator Bill Hagerty of Tennessee said Trump had received a national mandate for an “America First” agenda and that foreign capitals “must respect the ballot box.” House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast said allies “free-ride at their peril” and predicted further tariff hikes if the EU retaliates.

The White House did not respond to a request for comment. Trump told a rally in Ohio on Wednesday that tariffs had already revived idled steel plants in Pennsylvania and Indiana and vowed to extend duties to European cars “very soon.”

Major business groups warned that sub-federal diplomacy could deepen uncertainty. National Association of Manufacturers Vice President Chad Bown said companies need a single interlocutor on rules of origin and customs procedures. “A patchwork of state-level agreements would be a compliance nightmare,” Bown said.

Reich’s proposal builds on a network of climate and trade accords launched after Trump announced U.S. withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017. The “We Are Still In” coalition claims backing from 25 governors, 424 mayors and 2,300 corporations representing 56 percent of U.S. GDP, according to its most recent report.

Trade analysts said such coalitions have limited legal force. Jennifer Hillman, a former World Trade Organization appellate judge now at Georgetown University, said only the federal government can set tariff rates and negotiate market access. “States cannot bind the country at the border,” she said.

Democratic governors nevertheless signaled willingness to expand cooperation. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he would host a summit of Canadian and European envoys in San Francisco next month to discuss electric-vehicle supply chains. “California will not retreat from the world,” Newsom told reporters.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker announced plans for a trade office in Brussels focused on agricultural exports, while Washington state officials said they would hold separate talks with Japan on aerospace regulations. The moves stop short of formal treaties, which would require federal approval, but aim to keep regulatory standards aligned in areas such as carbon emissions and data privacy.

Background

Reich served as labor secretary from 1993 to 1997 and became a vocal critic of economic inequality after leaving office. His 2015 book “Saving Capitalism” argued that rules set by national governments determine distributional outcomes more than market forces. He taught economics at the University of California, Berkeley and advised Democratic presidential candidates on workforce policy.

The United States last experienced serious sub-federal foreign activism during the 1980s when cities and states imposed sanctions on South Africa over apartheid. The Reagan administration initially opposed divestment but eventually endorsed federal measures after Congress overrode a presidential veto in 1986. Analysts say that episode shows provinces and municipalities can shape foreign policy even without treaty-making power.

What’s Next

European Commission officials will visit Sacramento and Albany in July to explore memorandums of understanding on zero-emission vehicles, according to a draft agenda seen by GlobalBeat. The trips could provide an early test of whether economic coordination can continue without White House blessing.

Investors are watching whether U.S. states can keep cross-border supply chains intact. Futures markets priced in a 65 percent probability of a 3-percentage-point rise in U.S. auto parts costs if no federal exemption is granted by September, CME Group data showed. Canadian officials said Ottawa could lower its own retaliatory tariffs on states that certify adherence to current steel quotas, a move that would further fracture the national response.