Tariffs Will Refill the Swamp

During his first term, Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp." That didn't happen. Now he may actually do the opposite. If Mr. Trump succeeds in imposing across-theboard tariffs, the swamp will grow.

- Merrill Matthews

Mr. Trump borrowed the drain-the-swamp mantra from Ronald Reagan, who invoked it in the 1980s to describe his efforts to shrink government bureaucracy. But Mr. Trump gave the mission new urgency and broader application, pledging to counter bureaucrats and Washington elitescorrupt lobbyists and other big-moneyed interests that make government work for the privileged to the detriment of average Americans. That message still resonates with millions of voters.

The problem is that Mr. Trump's tariff program would energize and empower these elites. By directing government to impose levies on allies and adversaries alike, he'd be giving more strength to the swamp monsters he's supposed to be defeating.