The Birkin Over MAGA: Melania Trump’s European Taste and the Political Contradiction Behind Luxury Choices
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 , signed by President Herbert Hoover, stands as one of the most illustrative episodes of trade protectionism in U.S. history. This law imposed steep tariffs on more than 20,000 imported goods with the aim of shielding domestic industry and agriculture during the Great Depression. However, the result was counterproductive: other countries retaliated with similar measures, closing their markets to U.S. products, which severely affected American farmers who lost access to key export destinations. Agricultural exports plummeted, and instead of easing the economic crisis, protectionism deepened it. Similarly, President Donald Trump’s tariff policies—particularly the so-called “trade war” with China and the European Union—followed a logic of unilateral commercial pressure. By imposing tariffs on products like steel, aluminum, wine, cheese, and olive oil, Trump sought to protect domestic production, but once again—as in the 1930s—it was U.S. farmers a...
