Dear President Donald Trump:

It is hard to believe the U.S. has changed so drastically in just two and a half months since you took office -- and I cannot be the only one to think so. You have pushed forward with the "revolution of common sense" that you vowed in your January inaugural address, sowing confusion around the world in the process.

You have attacked even your allies and friends, saying, "Someday, maybe they're not our allies." You have also said: "I say that, friend and foe, and in many cases, the friend is worse than the foe."

Tariffs are a prime example of this. On Wednesday, a day you called "Liberation Day," the highest tariff rates since the 1930s were announced against U.S. trade partners in Asia, Europe and beyond. European countries and China retaliated with their own tariffs, and the world now faces a trade war

You say tariffs are "beautiful." Many economists warn that tit-for-tat levies actually deal a heavy blow to the global economy.

Higher tariffs will drive up costs for U.S. consumers, fueling concerns of stagflation -- in which prices rise even as the economy shrinks. You say market adjustments will be temporary, but it would be prudent not to underestimate the impact of the world's largest economy turning to isolationism.

I feel for the plight of Americans living in the Rust Belt as portrayed in Vice President JD Vance's book, "Hillbilly Elegy." It is understandable that a president elected with their support would embrace "America First" policies. Every country sees its own interests as top priority. But whether current policies truly serve American interests is questionable.

You seem to want to break away from the current international economic system that was created under U.S. leadership. Washington supported global reconstruction efforts after winning World War II, including through the Marshall Plan and fixing the yen rate to 360 against the dollar.

In the 1970s, as Japan and Germany bounced back and the U.S. trade deficit grew, the Nixon administration scrapped the fixed exchange rate. The U.S. has since occasionally pursued trade sanctions and currency adjustments, but remained committed to upholding the U.S.-led international system.

Globalization only accelerated after the Cold War ended in the early 1990s, which brought new countries into the global market economy. As China and other emerging countries grew rapidly, manufacturers in the U.S. and Japan became less competitive on cost and were forced to make tough adjustments. But at the same time, the U.S. birthed giant tech companies and became a net energy exporter on its shale gas revolution.

You seem to think the U.S. has grown weaker, based on a trade deficit in goods and the manufacturing sector. But the U.S. remains the world's greatest economic power and a winner in the global economy.

The U.S. ranked 12th in the 2024 World Competitiveness Ranking compiled by the International Institute for Management Development, ahead of every other Group of Seven country, as well as China. American companies and universities lead global rankings. Eight of the top 10 people on Forbes' World's Billionaires List -- including your ally, Elon Musk -- are American as well.

The U.S. should deal with struggles like the drug epidemic and the decline of rural economies not through tariffs, but through wealth redistribution, health care and social services and other domestic policies. Inflation and economic woes created by higher tariffs will affect low-income families and deepen the wealth divide. Attacks on other countries will ricochet back to the U.S., like the boycotts on American goods now seen in Canada and Europe.

In a 1987 open letter that appeared in The New York Times, you wrote: "For decades, Japan and other nations have been taking advantage of the United States."

"Over the years, the Japanese, unimpeded by the huge costs of defending themselves (as long as the United States will do it for free), have built a strong and vibrant economy with unprecedented surpluses," you wrote.

Your views appear not to have changed nearly 40 years later.

In the meantime, Japan has increased the amount of host-nation support Japan pays to help station American troops in the country. It updated legislation to allow for collective self-defense under certain circumstances, and increased defense spending to 2% of gross domestic product. As China's military capabilities grew, the Japan-U.S. alliance transformed from a one-sided arrangement for Washington to defend Japan into a linchpin for Asia-Pacific security.

It makes sense that the U.S. wants Japan and Europe to step up even more amid rapid shifts in the global security environment. But economic attacks will not strengthen alliances. Rather, they will weaken American soft power and undermine the dollar's status as the world's top reserve currency.

You have vowed to "Make America Great Again." But America became great in the first place because it led the creation of the post-war global order. President Ronald Reagan, who like you believed in "peace through strength," also advocated for freedom, democracy and human rights. You seem to have no interest in such principles.

"You can always count on Americans to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else." This famous quote is often attributed to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. But this time, the U.S. cannot afford to try everything else.

As a friend of the U.S., I strongly hope the country wakes up as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Akio Fujii

Executive Chair of Editorial Board, Nikkei