Trump declares the end of America’s ‘economic surrender’ — blasts ‘gutless’ leaders for crushing US prosperity Moneywise and Yahoo Finance LLC may earn commission or revenue through links in the content below.
President Donald Trump is using World Trade Week to declare victory over what he calls decades of American “economic surrender.” In a May 19 presidential message, Trump (1) said America built “the world’s most powerful economy” through its industries, innovators and workforce — but argued that foreign competitors were later allowed to flood U.S. markets with cheap imports while blocking American producers abroad
Top Picks – – – The IRS usually taxes gold as a collectible — but this little-known strategy lets you hold physical bullion tax-free. Get your free guide from Priority Gold “For decades, gutless politicians handed away our prosperity in the name of free trade—undercutting our workers, hollowing out our factories, and weakening the industries that made our Nation great,” Trump said. The president said that era is now over. “Under my leadership, the days of economic surrender are over,” he said, adding that his administration has used tariffs to fight what it sees as unfair trade practices, “reclaim” America’s wealth, secure “trillions of dollars in manufacturing investments,” shrink the trade deficit and bring production back to U.S. shores.
It’s a sweeping argument — and one that fits Trump’s broader pitch that tariffs, trade deals and domestic investment can revive U.S. industry. The numbers offer some support for his claims on trade, though the picture is complicated. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2), the U.S. goods and services trade deficit fell by $211.2 billion, or 55%, year-to-date through March compared with the same period in 2025.