Former U.S. Congressman talks about Tariffs, Trump, and the Future of Economic Sovereignty
Interview starts at the 1:44:00 Mark
In a dynamic and wide-ranging interview on Caravan to Midnight, former U.S. Congressman and gubernatorial candidate Jim Renacci sat down with John B. Wells to dissect the economic and geopolitical storm clouds forming on the global horizon — and why he believes the Biden-era unraveling of American strength is now being corrected by the return of Donald Trump’s America First doctrine.
Renacci, a seasoned businessman and policymaker with deep roots in Ohio’s industrial heartland, joined Wells to make sense of the economic chaos, from ballooning inflation and supply chain breakdowns to the explosive consequences of Trump’s tariffs — and how those tariffs may have exposed far more than just bad trade deals.
Renacci began by outlining the delayed impact of the Trump-era tariffs on China, Iran, and other strategic adversaries. While critics at the time dismissed them as trade blunders, Renacci argued that the longer-term implications are now impossible to ignore. “We didn’t just level the playing field,” Renacci told Wells. “We shook the foundation of a globalist order that had long enabled the CCP and the mullahs in Tehran.”
The conversation shifted toward the recent explosions in Iranian ports, which intelligence suggests involved Chinese missile components and dual-use technologies. “These aren’t isolated incidents,” Renacci said. “They are the ripple effects of America reasserting control over its own supply chains and challenging the opaque military-industrial cooperation between China and Iran.” He added that these incidents highlight why Trump’s tough stance on trade and tariffs was always about more than economics — it was a national security strategy.
Wells, known for his ability to dig beneath the surface, pressed Renacci on what the mainstream media has largely ignored: how American tariffs and economic pressure may have disrupted critical infrastructure and military projects tied to authoritarian regimes. “We’re seeing things blow up—literally and figuratively—because they lost access to essential components,” Renacci explained. “It’s what happens when a superpower stops funding its own enemies.”
The two also explored the reality of de-dollarization, the fragility of global energy markets, and how the Russia-China-Iran axis has been emboldened by perceived U.S. weakness under Biden. But with Trump back in the Oval Office, Renacci said, the international balance of power is already shifting again.
“There’s a recalibration happening,” he noted. “Markets are reacting, adversaries are adjusting, and America is regaining leverage.”
In one of the interview’s more personal segments, Renacci discussed the disconnect between the Washington elite and everyday Americans, particularly in the Rust Belt. He warned that inflation, border chaos, and cultural degradation are fueling a populist backlash that the political class is unprepared for. “This isn’t just about left and right anymore. It’s about top and bottom. And the people at the bottom are tired of being lied to.”
Renacci and Wells closed the conversation with a forward-looking discussion on American resilience and what must come next. “We can’t go back to the pre-Trump status quo,” Renacci said. “Globalism failed. Appeasement failed. It’s time for tough love — for our allies, for our enemies, and even for ourselves.”
John B. Wells praised Renacci as a voice of clarity in an age of deception. “Jim doesn’t just analyze policy,” Wells said. “He speaks the language of people who build, who risk, and who remember what America was before it got sold off piece by piece.”
The interview is a must-watch for anyone trying to understand the deeper implications of Trump’s second term, the unraveling of the mullah regime, and why economic pressure may prove more explosive than bombs.
