How Trump’s return will impact the world: Dollar, China, tariffs, Russia, Ukraine, Israel, Iran, & more

Ben Norton
November11, 2024
As he prepares to return to the White House, US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed neoconservative Iran hawk Brian Hook to lead his State Department transition team. This has excited pro-Israel groups.

At a September event at the Israeli-American Council, Trump proudly declared, “I was the best friend Israel ever had”.
All of the likely candidates for Trump’s secretary of state and national security advisor are China hawks. These include neocons Marco Rubio, Robert O’Brien, and Mike Waltz. Three other possible choices, Ric Grenell, Bill Hagerty, and Vivek Ramaswamy are so-called “MAGA” Republicans who have distanced themselves from neoconservatism, but still share the neocons’ vehement hatred of China and would escalate tensions with Beijing.
Trump’s former trade representative Robert Lighthizer is coming back in his second administration. Lighthizer is another hawk who oversaw the trade war on China during Trump’s first term. Lighthizer started his political career in the Ronald Reagan administration in the 1980s, when he helped wage a similar trade war on Japan.
During his campaign, Trump pledged to impose tariffs of “more than” 60% on Chinese goods. China is the United States’ third-largest trading partner, after Canada and Mexico.
The former chief strategist in Trump’s first administration, Steve Bannon, boasted in 2018, “We’re at war with China”. Bannon confidently predicted a US war in the South China Sea by 2027. The week of the November 2024 election, Bannon made similar remarks, stating that Trump will have to “defend” Taiwanese separatists. Bannon urged Trump to settle the proxy war against Russia in Ukraine in order to prepare for conflict with Beijing.