Howard Lutnick, U.S. Commerce Secretary: On the Failure of Globalisation
"Globalization has failed the West and the United States of America. It's a failed policy. It is what the WEF has stood for, which is export offshore, far-shore, find the cheapest labor in the world and the world is a better place for it.
The fact is, it has left America behind. It has left the American worker behind. And what we are here to say is that America First is a different model—one that we encourage other countries to consider—which is that our workers come first. We can have policies that impact our workers.
Sovereignty is your borders. You're entitled to have borders. You shouldn't offshore your medicine. You shouldn't offshore your semiconductors. You shouldn't offshore your entire industrial base and have it be hollowed out beneath you.
You should not be dependent for that which is fundamental to your sovereignty on any other nation. And if you're going to be dependent on someone, it darn well better be your best allies.
Okay? And so that is a different way of thinking. It is completely different than the WEF.
I view the WEF as not a flagpole in the middle, but in fact they are the flag—whichever way the wind blew.
So with blue, you should have solar, you should have wind. Why are you going to do solar and wind? Why would Europe agree to be net zero in 2030 when they don't make a battery? They don't make a battery.
So if they go 2030, they are deciding to be subservient to China, who makes the batteries. Why would you do that?
Why would the United States of America, which has oil and natural gas, try to convert to all electricity? China does not have oil and natural gas. Electricity and electric cars make perfect sense to them. That is practical and logical.
So the point I want to make—and I want people to think about—is that America First is the job of our government: to take care of our workers, to make sure their lives are better for it.
And then don't be America alone, right? But be America First.
And I would suggest that policy is something for other countries to deeply consider—to take care of their own—and then we will work out wonderful relationships between us.
But I want to point out: when America shines, the world shines. Close your eyes and think of a world without America in it. It becomes pretty dark pretty darn quickly.
When America shines, right, and everyone said, "Oh, you're going to do all these tariffs, you're going to destroy the world"—the world's stock markets are up. Which ones of them? All of them."
