Framed as a bold move to reclaim economic sovereignty, President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs signalled a dramatic shift in U.S. trade policy. Much more than a mere economic strategy, it featured as a symbolic act of national self-defence, implying that the United States needs bolder tariffs to compensate for the ridicule received from both its friends and foes. Some argue that countries running trade surpluses with the U.S. are exploiting it with predatory zeal, and that bringing back home industries sent overseas – by shortsighted past leadership – is essential for restoring the national might. Yet this narrative ignores a crucial fact: the American population is not made solely of xenophobic economic actors, but it includes, as well, consumers who are going to suffer from abrupt price increases, producers heavily wounded by the debris from broken supply chains. The social-economic fabric of both America and the rest of the world is far more subtle than blunt mercantilist segregations, for economic retaliation ends up inflicting collateral damage on the very people it aims to protect.