Trump’s America Isn’t Great—It’s Gilded: A Reality Check on Tariffs and Exploitation

When Donald Trump says he wants to “make America great again,” he’s really talking about his childhood. And yeah, a lot of people look back on their childhood with rose-coloured glasses—I know I do. But let’s be real: the 1950s and 60s (when Trump was a kid) weren’t exactly “great” for everyone. If you were Black, queer, Indigenous, a woman, or anything other than white and straight, those years were less about prosperity and more about survival. For many, it wasn’t some golden era—it was a time of fighting for basic rights and being told to wait your turn.

That said, the economy was booming. The middle class was growing, unions were strong, and the wealthiest Americans faced top marginal tax rates as high as 91%. Sure, that rate only applied to the ultra-rich, and after deductions, their effective tax rate was lower—but still far higher than what today’s billionaires pay. That revenue helped build roads, schools, affordable housing, and healthcare. Imagine that.

But Trump’s vision of a “great” America doesn’t lift people up—it grinds them down. He wants a country where workers put in longer hours, get paid less, and are told that struggle is patriotic. That’s not greatness. That’s exploitation dressed up in a red hat.

And we’re not talking about the great union jobs of the 50s and 60s—the ones that allowed families like mine to buy a house, raise kids, and live decently on a single income. Those jobs built lives. What Trump is offering isn’t that. He’s not interested in strengthening labour rights or rebuilding the middle class.

What he’s pushing looks more like the Gilded Age—when America had some of the highest tariffs in its history and most of the wealth was concentrated at the top. And what did that look like? A handful of elites got richer while the majority of workers labored in brutal conditions for almost nothing.

And these tariffs? That’s the playbook in action. They’re designed to devalue the American dollar to make U.S. exports look more attractive. But the endgame isn’t about helping workers—it’s about turning America into a place where global companies can come for cheap labour and low standards. A bargain-bin economy.

Because that’s how Trump sees Americans. Like his workers. The workers he’s abused, devalued, and underpaid.

The only thing “gilded” about Trump’s America is the shine he slaps on top of the same old exploitation.