When will we realize it’s a mistake to misjudge and underestimate Donald Trump?
I was trying to remember the last time Donald Trump’s opponents laughed so hard at his expense.
Oh, right—it was Nov. 15, 2022.
The twice-impeached, Jan. 6-disgraced former president announced he would run for office again.
What a joke.
I laughed, too.
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Critics say Trump folded on Mexico, Canada tariffs
And this week, Trump finds himself the target once again of mockery and sneering contempt, as he temporarily lifts the promised tariffs on Mexico and Canada.
Trump’s critics have a field day, calling him “a cheap date.”
Canada and Mexico simply gave him what they had already promised, and Trump folded like a house of cards.
What a fool!
Opinion: Mexico and Canada outsmarted Trump in his trade war. He still thinks he won.
This was the exact mood when Trump invited the world’s media to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, in 2022, to declare that he would return to the White House.
People howled.
They laughed when he said he’d run again. The conventional wisdom was that Trump wasn’t actually running for president—he was running from the law.
Here’s how The Washington Post put it:
“Trump’s urgency to announce also comes from wanting to get ahead of a potential indictment in any of the several ongoing criminal investigations.”
His popularity was in the toilet. Polls showed that 54% of voters had an unfavorable view of him, with 44% holding a “very unfavorable” opinion, The Post reported.
Just three months earlier, the FBI had executed a search warrant at his Mar-a-Lago residence, looking for and finding classified documents.
And now he was running for president again?
What a farce!
Trump won. Laugh at your own peril.
Except that he did run for president.
He did win.
And now, Trump is sweeping the Augean stables of the FBI and the rest of the U.S. intelligence community.
That development has even become a trending topic this week on social media: “Panic in D.C.”
This serves as a warning to anyone quick to think that Mexico and Canada outsmarted Trump on tariffs.
Laugh at your own risk.
Trump’s strength is undeniable, while Democrats are still reeling. But before jumping to conclusions, let’s rewind to 2015, when Bill Maher asked Ann Coulter who she thought would win the Republican nomination.
“Donald Trump,” she replied, unwavering in her certainty.
Laughter erupted.
The audience roared, and even the other guests, including Maher, joined in on the mocking. Coulter, the lone voice of conviction, remained calm and resolute.
Fast forward to today: Donald Trump not only occupies the White House, but also holds majorities in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is in disarray.
According to a recent Quinnipiac University poll, the Democratic Party has sunk to a 16-year low in popularity, with only 31% of U.S. voters expressing a favorable view.
Now, the Democrats claim Trump has sealed his own fate with tariffs.
But did he?
Democrats argue that Trump got from Canada what Canada had already put on the table—a $1.3 billion upgrade to the U.S.-Canada border.
But that deal was made in December. As Newsweek headlined on December 20: “Canada Announces $1.3 Billion Border Security Plan Amid Trump Tariff Threats.”
In other words, this was a concession Trump had already secured through his tariff threats. He simply kept the pressure on a little longer to see if there were any additional gains to be made.
Trump secured a $200 million bonus from Canada.
In addition to the border security funding, Canada has agreed to appoint a “fentanyl czar” to focus on drug trafficking. They’ll also team up with the U.S. to designate drug cartels as “terrorist” organizations and establish a joint task force to combat organized crime, fentanyl distribution, and money laundering, as reported by Canada’s National Post.
All in all, a $200 million bonus. It’s not earth-shattering, but it’s certainly not insignificant.
As for Mexico, The New York Times reports that the country will deploy an additional 10,000 Mexican National Guard members to the U.S. border with a promise to “prevent drug trafficking,” particularly fentanyl.
Liberals once again cried foul, pointing out that those troops are already stationed there.
Well, if you’re going to accuse The Times of fake news, you might want to take it up with them.
That aside, let’s not forget Trump hasn’t exactly closed the deal on tariffs—he’s just hit the pause button for a month.
Now, for all the critics of Trump, are you really sure he’ll never reimpose tariffs if he feels Canada and Mexico have handed him weak concessions?
I may not agree with Trump’s tariff tactics—I don’t like playing chicken with the national and global economy—but I’m also acutely aware that I’ve misjudged and underestimated Trump before.
Trump is ushering in a new, more assertive approach to foreign policy. Trouble is brewing with authoritarian powers—China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—forming an axis aimed at challenging American democracy and influence on the global stage.
Meanwhile, several Democratic nations in Latin America have been cozying up to China, exchanging support for infrastructure funding. This shift poses a serious challenge to U.S. interests and global alliances.
The infrastructure China is building in Latin America gives them a foothold in the Western Hemisphere, one that could be used to challenge the United States both commercially and militarily.
Whether he intended to or not, Trump has sent a clear message to Latin America: you can choose your allies, but we have the power—and the willingness—to inflict significant pain on your economy and your citizens.
How many Latin American nations will forget that the next time Chinese diplomats arrive with promises of gifts?
In fact, Panama has already taken a step back, ending its participation in China’s Belt and Road Initiative to develop dual-use infrastructure worldwide. As Bloomberg News reported, after talks with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Panama’s President José Raúl Mulino announced that the agreement with China would not be renewed and might even be terminated early, though it was initially set to expire in two to three years.
Still laughing?
Phil Boas is an editorial columnist with The Arizona Republic, where this column originally appeared. Email him at phil.boas@arizonarepublic.com.
