An Empire (and Economy) in Decline

Image by Pau Casals.

The SCOTUS rejection of Trump’s tariffs changes little. The empire’s decline persists, and with it, its extension to the US economy as a whole. And it will continue whether or not Trump finds another law to use to justify tariffs (at higher, lower, or the same levels as now) and whether or not SCOTUS invalidates it. The tariffs of 2025 exposed the basic decline situation, including some of the costs of having denied and kicked that problem down the road so many times.