What kinds of time frames do you consider short-term and long-term? I ask because Il Douche’s supporters are not exactly known for taking the long view (or, if they do, they base it in the fantasies of temporarily embarrassed millionaires).
Depends on the free-trader. For the establishments in both duopoly parties, yes, with some calling for small reforms. For the progressive Our Revolution/Sanders wing of the Dems, better treaties that reduce the abilities of large corporations to bypass the sovereignty of the signatory nation-states, require more protections for workers, and give mobility of labour equal billing with mobility of goods/services and capital.
All show more flexibility and nuanced thinking than the black-and-white zero-sum thinking present on the right-wing populist end of the political spectrum.
The idea that trade balance sheets between two countries can come even close to par is nonsensical. If there’s an extreme deficit (e.g. the one between the U.S. and China) a badly negotiated deal is only part of the problem. The Chinese situation is just as much the result of conservatives spending decades promoting and participating in the offshoring of manufacturing jobs (for example these) in the context of race-to-the-bottom neoliberalism.
Brain-dead protectionism (with exceptions for cronies of the regime) that alienates long-term trading partners is not the answer. Here are some things the grownup countries are doing while these slipshod tariffs and isolationist walls are being put in place in the U.S.:
