Robert Reich:
They’ve dared China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court to blink.
But guess what? They’ve met their matches. None of them has blinked — and they won’t.
China not only refused to back down when the Trump regime threatened it with huge tariffs. It retaliated with huge tariffs of its own, plus a freeze on the export of rare-earth elements that America’s high-tech and defense industries depend on.
Harvard also pointedly defied the regime, issuing a clear rebuke to the regime’s attempt to interfere with academic freedom. The regime is trying to strike back — at Harvard’s grants, and its tax-exempt status — but the federal courts will surely reject these efforts.
The Supreme Court told the regime in no uncertain terms — in a rare unanimous decision — that its abduction of a legal American resident and deportation to a dangerous prison in El Salvador, without any criminal charges, was illegal and unconstitutional.
Trump is smarter than this. He knows China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court will not back down. All are rich and powerful enough to defy Trump’s escalating threats and demands. They cannot and will not cower.
If Trump escalates his wars against them, they’ll become even stronger in the eyes of their supporters and constituents, and much of the world.
The American people and the world will see that Trump is actually a blowhard with no real power at all.
So if he’s smart, Trump will try to deescalate these three conflicts.
He’s already hinted at an off-ramp with China. He will probably find some way to claim that Harvard has capitulated to his demands. He will avoid a showdown with the Supreme Court.
They’ve dared China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court to blink.
But guess what? They’ve met their matches. None of them has blinked — and they won’t.
China not only refused to back down when the Trump regime threatened it with huge tariffs. It retaliated with huge tariffs of its own, plus a freeze on the export of rare-earth elements that America’s high-tech and defense industries depend on.
Harvard also pointedly defied the regime, issuing a clear rebuke to the regime’s attempt to interfere with academic freedom. The regime is trying to strike back — at Harvard’s grants, and its tax-exempt status — but the federal courts will surely reject these efforts.
The Supreme Court told the regime in no uncertain terms — in a rare unanimous decision — that its abduction of a legal American resident and deportation to a dangerous prison in El Salvador, without any criminal charges, was illegal and unconstitutional.
Trump is smarter than this. He knows China, Harvard, and the Supreme Court will not back down. All are rich and powerful enough to defy Trump’s escalating threats and demands. They cannot and will not cower.
If Trump escalates his wars against them, they’ll become even stronger in the eyes of their supporters and constituents, and much of the world.
The American people and the world will see that Trump is actually a blowhard with no real power at all.
So if he’s smart, Trump will try to deescalate these three conflicts.
He’s already hinted at an off-ramp with China. He will probably find some way to claim that Harvard has capitulated to his demands. He will avoid a showdown with the Supreme Court.
