Commentary: Trump Is Delivering on His Biggest Campaign Promise

by Andrew Loposser

President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs sent shockwaves through global markets and diplomatic circles. But beneath the noise lies a simple political truth: using tariffs as a negotiating tactic is working. Trump isn’t just taxing imports — he’s using leverage to bring foreign investment into the United States and to restore manufacturing jobs, just like he promised during the 2024 campaign.

The proposed tariffs have also set the table for the next big foreign investment: a proposed $21 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan’s Nippon Steel. If Trump greenlights the deal, it will mark a decisive victory for his America First agenda: thousands of new U.S. jobs, renewed strength in the domestic steel industry, and a message to the world that if you want access to the American market, you’d better be ready to invest in it.

Unlike decades of steel industry outsourcing, Nippon Steel’s offer represents reshoring using foreign capital – and a major bet by the Japanese on America. It also reinforces Trump’s longstanding support for U.S.-Japan relations. His friendship with the late Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was more than ceremonial — it reflected a strategic alliance between two countries that believe in strength, trade, and mutual respect.

Deepening that relationship through major industrial investment is a win for both nations. It would also show yet again that the U.S. is the best place to do business when the playing field is level. Trump has already seen auto giants like GM and Hyundai announce multibillion-dollar U.S. expansions, adding over 1,400 jobs in the process. Nippon Steel is the next domino — and the biggest yet.

Critics point to market uncertainty as evidence that tariffs don’t work. But they are missing the point. Tariffs aren’t the end goal — they’re a means to an end: fair trade deals that benefit the American economy and workers. Trump’s approach is about rewriting the rules of global commerce, forcing countries that have long exploited U.S. markets to the table.

And they’re coming, far beyond just Japan. Already, more than 75 countries have opened negotiations with the Trump administration. Argentina’s libertarian President Javier Milei pledged to reduce trade barriers. South Korea secured a tailor-made agreement. India is in talks. These are results, not hypotheticals. Trump even paused most of the tariffs for 90 days, except for China — sending a clear signal: if you cheat, you pay. If you play fair, you get access.

That’s a message Republicans can carry straight into Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Michigan into the 2026 midterm elections.

Approving the Nippon Steel acquisition isn’t just good foreign policy — it’s good domestic politics. It’s proof that Trump’s America First agenda isn’t about isolationism. It’s about making America the best place in the world to work, build, and invest.

While academics and the media sneer, working-class Americans see a leader delivering on his word.

Ten years ago, MAGA began as a revolt against globalization and broken trade deals. Trump promised to bring jobs back, punish cheaters like China, and make it profitable to build in the U.S. again. He’s doing all of that and more.

And if he wants to cap off his first 100 days with a signature achievement, this is it. The Nippon Steel deal is a political, economic, and diplomatic trifecta.

It’s time to close it.

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Andrew Loposser is President APL Consulting and founder of Assembly Strategies.

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