Why is Trump Smitten by the Gilded Age? (A very sad story about historical ignorance)

Last night I forced myself to watch Trump’s “liberation day” speech, and I have to admit the history nerd in me was impressed by his historical references. During his sixty minutes of circular rambling, he made several references to past American eras and seemed anxious to return the United States back to the late 1800s, better known as the Gilded Age. And that, at least, explains why he is so infatuated with tariffs.

When touting “liberation day”, Trump said he will “make America wealthy again.” That statement alone helps explain his fascination with the era of the “Robber Barons” in late 19th century. Trump loves to talk about wealth, especially his.

On a couple of points Trump was spot on. The Gilded Age produced unprecedented wealth for the United States, and the government relied heavily on tariffs for revenue. But Trump seemed ignorant at what cost. Here are a few other products of this time era that Trump didn’t mention:

·      The inequity surrounding the distribution of wealth was astounding. By far, most of the accumulated wealth was hoarded by a few very successful businessmen like Cornelius Vanderbilt, J. D. Rockefeller, J. P. Morgan, Carnegie Mellon, and Henry Frick. High tariffs ensured that these men would not bear the brunt of these types of taxes.

·      These rich businessmen made their fortunes by waging ruthless price wars against small businesses, bribing legislators to pass laws that favored them, bribing judges to turn a blind eye to their corporate crimes, manipulating stocks, and benefiting from huge government subsidies.

·      The US Senate was known as the millionaire’s club, as they were not elected by voters but appointed by state legislatures. This led to gross corruption.

·      The Gilded Age touted the racist philosophy of social Darwinism, where very rich men believed they had won the battle of the fittest because they came from superior racial stock. They believed their wealth was a reward for their superiority.

·      Throughout this era Jim Crow laws trapped Blacks into a never-ending cycle of second-class citizenship, where segregation reigned supreme and voting was a dangerous act.

·      Women, as well, were condemned to the bottom rungs of society, not yet given the right to vote or even have full rights over their property or their bodies.

·      Western indigenous tribes faced extermination as the railroads brought White settlers to their ancestral homelands, while promoting the slaughter of vast herds of bison, forcing those natives who were not slaughtered or starved to live a confined life of poverty on reservations.

·      Industrial workers worked long, brutal hours for little pay, and when they tried to organize for better conditions, they were met by Pinkerton thugs who would beat the crap out of them with impunity.

·      Immigrants, who served as a much-needed labor force fueling this explosion of wealth, found themselves facing open hostility from many Americans because of their strange, foreign languages and customs.

·      In 1890 alone, 150,000 children (ages 10-15) had to work in factories.

·      On top of low wages, workers had no sick leave, no health care, and no compensation if they were injured on the job.

Trump mentioned none of these glaring problems last night, spending his time instead promising a new rosy future where all will benefit from his brilliant move to implement gargantuan tariffs on much of the world, including countries that used to be our closest allies. Of course, having read much about Trump’s past statements and actions, it is also reasonable to assume that he sees nothing wrong with any of the above problems I included.

Somehow, Trump forgot to mention the 1893 depression that devastated the United States economy for several years. But he did bring up the Hawley-Smoot Tariff, which he claimed was a heroic attempt to save the United States from the devastation of the Great Depression. Too bad someone didn’t tell Trump that by imposing this tariff in 1930, President Herbert Hoover made the Great Depression even greater.

The question that puzzles me is why Trump thinks this is a good idea? There are plenty of history books on this time period, and there are no shortages of economists to advise him about the perils of starting a global trade war. Is he really so ignorant and arrogant that he thinks he knows better than those who spent a lifetime studying economic history? Are people in his inner circle whispering in his ear, because they have a stake in wrecking the world economy? All I know is that for a man who campaigned on halting inflation and restoring the American economy, his actions are more than befuddling. They are dangerous.