The promise to reshape the economy, which was central to Trump’s reelection campaign, tapped into a pervasive sense among many US voters that they were being financially cheated by wages not keeping up with rising prices. Economies should be transformed to ensure everyone can enjoy their rights to food, housing, health care, education, social security, and other economic, social and cultural rights: But Trump’s approach gives no evident consideration to these or any rights.
These new tariffs are so broad and arbitrary that many economists expect them to be inflationary, hurting those struggling the most. Yet not only is there no apparent plan to alleviate the immediate negative impact on people, the tariffs are also combined with policies already making things harder for many. The administration has slashed billions in spending and fired thousands of public employees, many of whom are Black, gutting programs vital for health care, education, and other rights. Meanwhile, the administration weakened anti-corruption rules and is pushing through tax cuts for the wealthiest, while rescinding rules that increased workers’ pay.
These measures run counter to an economy aligned with human rights – or a “human rights economy” – which assesses economic decision-making based on its impact on people’s welfare and the planet. A human rights economy is centered on quality public services such as health care and education and income support at key life moments, while regulating companies and corporate power to prevent them from undermining rights.
A human rights approach to tariffs would carefully weigh the risk of increasing prices on necessities like food and housing against the potential benefits. Tariff policies should be part of a wider set of reforms that advances rights, such as by using any new revenue to strengthen public services and social security.
The tariffs also pose a significant risk to human rights in other countries, insofar as governments may end up sacrificing their own labor, health, and environmental protections in a bid for the US to remove the tariffs. This could exacerbate an already dire race to the bottom and compound harms caused by Trump gutting billions in US foreign assistance.
The problem is not that the United States is being ripped off by foreign countries and immigrants, as Trump contends. Instead, the US government should look to funding public services and regulating companies so that everyone has a living wage, access to health care, and adequate housing. That may entail sweeping economic changes, but not those that the Trump administration has put into motion. What is needed is a human rights economy.
