David Webb: Trump and 'leverage' -- Here's how it really works

It’s a game of leverage.

The man who wrote “The Art of the Deal” was a CEO with unilateral power before he became president and gained a dysfunctional board of directors called Congress.

At times he’s inartful on or off Twitter but how right or wrong is Trump, is a much better question. To be fair some of this will take years to play out and questions answered in hindsight.

The almost predictable and repetitive reaction of the Democrats, detractors and never-Trumpers demonstrates that he gets under “their” skin.

So … how does leverage work?

Time for a reality check…

The pragmatic Donald Trump who broke the emergency glass on Washington, D.C.’s many failures has in some ways evolved to become a political wrecking ball to the delight of the fed up American and the chagrin of the D.C. establishment.

The leverage game can have many consequences. They can be economically deadly, literally deadly where military conflict exists, and the rewards can also be consequential for America and the world.

The results of a pro-growth economic plan are working domestically for many, though not all. Why? …

Trump hired the sharks to advise him on the formulation of both domestic and international economic policy. Agree or disagree, Hassett, Kudlow, Mnuchin, Navarro, Ross, Lighthizer and others know how to swim in the domestic and global business waters.

Internationally it’s the tariff game and leverage is key. Ask yourself what is the mechanism that would force other nations like China, Mexico, Canada or the vaunted European Union to change behavior? If you answer the world trade organization, it’s a globalist joke.

Take China and auto tariffs, for example, U.S. auto tariffs are 2.5 percent. China’s were 25 percent; they offered to cut to 15 percent. Then they increased to 40 percent. Now they say they will cut to 15 percent.

The U.S. should raise its tariff to 15 percent, or better yet, China should lower its tariff to 2.5 percent.

It’s a work in progress. Nothing of substance has been done about debt and deficit, but let’s be realistic until the economy is sound the conversation wouldn’t even take place.

That’s how political leverage is played.

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Adapted from David Webb's "Reality Check" monologue on Fox Nation.