Auchtoon!

Chris Christie, the former governor of New Jersey, was a recent guest on The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart podcast. The long time Republican has known the President for 23 years, worked for him, and (as eventually happens to most) was fired by him.

In the course of conversation, Christie offered a number of informed insights. One that caught my attention was about the role of a leader — any leader, but especially for the President of the United States: “Character matters, and it matters more than any particular issue.”

His point: Even for those who align on issues and agree with what the President is doing, there is an underlying problem, which is “…the pettiness, the vindictiveness, the anger, all those things informs much of what he does, and it’s going to lead to big problems, I think, in the country over the long term.”

My point: And in the short term, too.

This week, Mexico and Canada apparently were able to convince our President that things they were mostly already doing were new things, which earned a 30-day reprieve on massive tariffs being applied on trade between them and the United States.

Anybody who knows anything about the automobile industry (so pretty much any Michigander) can tell you that the U.S. automotive industry supply chain is very tightly interwoven with Mexico and Canada. This is a result of decades of trade agreements that facilitated the tight bonds. You may not like this. You may not think it’s a good idea. But it is a fact. And waving a magic tariff wand will not undo it. What it will do is create chaos.

Of course, these sorts of concerns are brushed away by the President’s supporters who say his threats are simply a negotiation tactic. Well, two things about that:

First, it still causes damage. Those who run successful businesses that actually build things and create value need to plan ahead. Logistics, legally binding contracts, paying employees — these are real matters they need to deal with. Unlike the President, declaring bankruptcy and walking away is not a standard option.

Second, people tend to remember when they are treated badly. Countries remember when they are treated badly. There are consequences. Even if the United States gains a short-term advantage by threatening friends and ignoring treaties, we will have to deal with other countries exacting revenge when they no doubt get the opportunity.