Trade policy and international marketing under Reagan and Trump

We investigate the implications for international marketing of the trade policies of Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump. Our analysis reveals that both presidential administrations sought to reduce the US trade deficit, and defend and enhance the international marketing performance of US firms. In the early phase of his administration, trade policy under Reagan was restrained but became more forceful. Reagan focused on the emergent trade deficit with Japan and on enhancing international market opportunities for US firms. However, Reagan’s policies fell short of their goals. Today, the US faces a much larger trade deficit, primarily with China. Adopting policy goals similar to those of Reagan, Trump’s approach has been more assertive. Like Reagan, however, Trump’s policies have fallen short of achieving intended goals. We provide some empirical background, and discuss the policies and outcomes of the policies of Reagan and Trump. We highlight implications for firms’ international marketing efforts and performance, and provide directions for future research.