Only in cloud cuckoo land is a trade war easy to win

Despite the pain being inflicted on US businesses and consumers by the blowback from his tariffs and the growing outcry against his intransigent approach, US President Donald Trump is still talking a good game, insisting that he can win a trade war with China.

In an interview with Reuters on Monday, he said that his administration is "negotiating very powerfully and strongly with other nations" and it is "going to win".

It is that winner-take-all approach which is one of the reasons why his optimistic claim is unlikely to be realized. He and some of his ideologically blinkered advisers are the only ones that view trade that way - everyone else who understands how trade works has informed him that it is a win-win game.