Sen. Susan Collins, Sen. Chuck Grassley and Sen. Mark Warner, among others, in April submitted a bipartisan bill, the Trade Review Act 2025. It is intended to bring the power of approval and implementation for applying tariffs within the purview of Congress and away from the executive. This meaningful legislation seeks to notify the American people about what is going on.

President Trump’s world view is: commodity. The president believes that everything and everyone can be bought and sold. Every transaction is a deal in his card game. Life is a commodity casino. So, what’s the deal?

The new deal is the “tariff commodity market.” Manufactured out of thin air by the stroke of a black sharpie, thy will be done. He originally placed a tariff on China of 145% (since lowered), which was the most valuable tariff in the commodity casino. Apple makes a bet, says let’s make a deal for a tariff exemption on electronic commodities used to build cell phones and computers, etc. The tariff exemption is sold — for a price, of course. The casino house gets the profit, Apple gets a tariff exemption. The die is cast. Caesar wins the gold.

This is a burgeoning lucrative tariffs commodity market, like the derivatives commodity market and the crypto currency commodity market. It is like a production of “the magic theatre, for madmen only” (Steppenwolf). Oligarchy reigns and the inferior people pay the price.

This is what the senators are trying to tell us: Listen up, America is currently a commodity for sale.

Patrick Quinn
Winterport