- Free trade agreements delivered negligible economic gains: All U.S. trade deals through 2017 increased exports by only 1.6%, while imports surged 3.4%.
- China and NAFTA caused massive U.S. job losses: Between 1999 and 2011, trade from China displaced 2.0 to 2.4 million jobs, while NAFTA led to a net loss of 1.02 million jobs from 1993 to 2004.
- Exports play a minor role in the U.S. economy: Exports make up just 11% of U.S. GDP, while 89% of economic activity comes from domestic demand—yet trade policy continues to prioritize foreign markets.
- Trade benefits are captured by multinationals, not small businesses: The top 1% of U.S. trading firms—about 2,000 companies—account for over 80% of trade, and 90% of them are also major importers.
- Trade liberalization contributed to historic inequality: From 1979 to 2021, the top 0.01% saw income grow 27× faster than the bottom 20%, while the bottom 90% lost $47 trillion in income to upward redistribution since 1975.
For decades, U.S. politicians have sold free trade agreements as a beacon of prosperity for the American economy. The logic was tidy: “Most of the world’s consumers live outside the U.S.—so if we open foreign markets, prosperity will follow.” On paper, it sounded plausible. But in practice, it became one of the most costly economic miscalculations in our modern history.
That free trade mantra concealed a crucial economic truth: exports account for just 11% of U.S. GDP. The remaining 89% comes from domestic consumption and investment—our own internal economy. Yet Washington kept chasing overseas buyers while ignoring the collapse unfolding in our own industrial towns, small businesses, farms, and manufacturing hubs. America’s internal market was sacrificed in pursuit of an export fantasy that never paid off.
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UNCONSTITUTIONAL
Our Founding Fathers Rejected
FREE TRADE And So Should We
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