Donald Trump calls himself a “tariff man.” And when he talks about “making America great again,” he praises President William McKinley for his advocacy of protective tariffs. He urges the U.S. to return to this 19th-century practice—even as he mischaracterizes McKinley’s contribution to it.
While there’s much to admire in the often-ignored 25th president, Mr. Trump’s account of McKinley is incomplete and superficial. A respected congressman and Ohio governor, McKinley was nicknamed the “Napoleon of Protection” by Democrats for his strong advocacy of tariffs that shielded domestic manufacturers from foreign competition. But when McKinley rose to prominence in politics, tariffs had already been a staple of American policy for decades. His more important contribution to trade policy was his advocacy of reciprocity—levying tariffs proportional to those of other countries and negotiating to lower them when possible.
McKinley was never a high-tariff man. He supported only what he felt industries needed, rebuffing greedy corporate demands for unnecessarily high increases. After Benjamin Harrison won the presidency in 1888, McKinley, as House Ways and Means Committee chairman, drafted the tariff reform measure the GOP had run on, raising levies from 38% to 49.5% while expanding the duty-free list.
Compare McKinley’s 11.5-point hike to the 100% tariff Mr. Trump has advocated for Mexican imports. Or the 200% tariff he has threatened for John Deeremachinery if the company shifts some of its production to Mexico. Or Mr. Trump’s proposed 60% tariff on all Chinese goods. Or his 20% tariff on any imports from everywhere else. These are fundamentally different approaches to trade.
McKinley was unhappy when the Senate amended his bill to raise tariffs even higher on 4,000 items. What he did support was Secretary of State James G. Blaine’s call for the Senate to allow the president to levy tariffs on duty-free goods from South American countries that imposed tariffs on U.S. goods. This was tailored reciprocity, not mindless taxation.
Ultimately, McKinley reluctantly supported the Senate’s tariff measure, which had momentum. “Some things were too high,” he admitted, “but I couldn’t get my bill through without it.”
Yet he continued pressing reciprocity. In his First Inaugural Address in 1897, he called for “additional discretionary power” in the White House to make “commercial treaties” for the “opening up of new markets” and urged “fair, reasonable, conservative and just” tariffs to bring in government revenue, which was faltering.
Congress responded by passing the Dingley Tariff, named after its sponsor, Rep. Nelson Dingley (R., Maine). It restored many tariff rates Democrats cut after they took power 1892 and, importantly, expanded reciprocity. For two years, the president could negotiate treaties with trading partners to reduce each country’s tariffs by 20%. These agreements required congressional approval and were in effect for five years. McKinley quickly appointed America’s first trade representative, former Rep. John Kasson (R., Iowa).
McKinley didn’t stop there, continuing to promote reciprocity. His most powerful advocacy came at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo on Sept. 5, 1901. Addressing representatives of trading partners and a large crowd, the president heralded global modernization, saying “isolation is no longer possible or desirable.” America’s “capacity to produce has developed so enormously,” he declared, that we can’t entertain the “fancied security that we can forever sell everything and buy little or nothing.” He called for “a broad and enlightened policy” of reciprocal agreements, “essential to the continued and healthful growth of our export trade.” His words were warmly received.
