Trump Higher Up SLAMS Globalization: Big Failure

Jimmy ParkerJanuary 21, 20261

Why Lutnick Went to Davos

Howard Lutnick, the Commerce Secretary in the Trump administration, went to Davos to make a simple but blunt point. He told the World Economic Forum that the old gospel of globalization did not lift everyone up. Instead it hollowed out manufacturing, weakened supply chains, and left working Americans worse off. No polite euphemisms. No bureaucratic doublespeak. He argued that policy should protect citizens and industry, not reward the cheapest bidder overseas.

Globalization Left the West Behind

Lutnick did not sugarcoat the results. The model of exporting production to the lowest cost locations produced cheaper stuff, sure, but it also produced fragility. When critical items like medicines, semiconductors, and batteries are made far from home, national security and daily life become hostage to distant regimes and fragile logistics. His message is straightforward: prosperity means more than low prices at the checkout counter. It means resilient industry and jobs people can count on.

America First as a Practical Strategy

The secretary pitched America First not as isolationism but as practical sovereignty. He said countries should put their workers and core industries first and avoid depending on rivals for things that sustain a nation. That means bringing home or at least diversifying production of essentials. It means choosing allies over adversaries for critical supply chains. It sounds simple because it is simple. Prioritize citizens, protect sovereignty, and keep the engines of prosperity close to home.

A Warning on Green Targets and Tech Dependence

Lutnick also pointedly questioned ambitious green targets that ignore industrial capacity. He noted the irony of committing to rapid decarbonization while lacking domestic battery manufacturing. If Europe or any country gives up making the tools needed for green energy, they will be dependent on whoever builds those batteries. That is not a hypothetical problem. It is policy made by wishful thinking, and it hands leverage to countries that are building the factories today.

Why This Matters for Voters

This speech matters because it frames trade and industry as choices with winners and losers. Voters who care about good jobs, secure supply chains, and national independence should listen. Lutnick and the administration are offering a model that seeks to rebuild industry and restore bargaining power to citizens and allies. If you prefer slogans, keep scrolling. If you prefer policy that defends workers and sovereignty, this is worth paying attention to.

Globalization has FAILED.

Secretary Lutnick at the World Economic Forum:

“The Trump Administration and I are here to make a very clear point—globalization has failed the West and the United States of America. It’s a failed policy… and it has left America behind.”

America is… pic.twitter.com/Urxl7pZwSe

— U.S. Commerce Dept. (@CommerceGov) January 20, 2026