“When President Trump wanted to implement steel and aluminum tariffs, he had a willing servant in Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. However, Secretary of Defense James Mattis resisted. Mattis simply did not understand a key tenet of the Trump Administration: Economic security is also national security. Without vibrant steel and aluminum industries, it will be difficult for America to provide the Pentagon with the kind of weapons it needs to defend the homeland.”
Citation: Project 2025, Section 4.6: Trade, Peter Navarro, page 827, paragraph 4
Context:
Since the effects of Trump’s steel tariffs were provably detrimental, it would seem General Mattis understood things just fine.
Full contextual analysis of Section 4.6: Trade here.
Section: Section 4.6: Trade