Bullying tariffs will scar US too

The simplistic slogan "America First" has a long and storied, politically charged history in the United States. But its enduring appeal has found fertile ground amid the festering disillusionment with the American Dream, as wage stagnation, job insecurity and automation have eroded trust in traditional pathways to personal prosperity.

While the US leader's political ideology has been shaped by a variety of influences, including his own experiences in business and entertainment, the influence of figures such as the paleoconservative Pat Buchanan, who campaigned for the presidency on an "America First" platform at the turn of the century, cannot be discounted.

Buchanan's nationalist, protectionist, and anti-globalist views have strongly resonated with the US president, who has tipped his hat to their shaping of his own political agenda.