What are the key economic policies advocated by the Maga movement?

1. Protectionism and “reciprocal tariffs” as signature tools

A core, repeatedly stated MAGA prescription is to blunt the effects of globalization through tariffs—most prominently proposals for a baseline import tax (widely reported as 10%) and “reciprocal tariffs” that raise duties on countries running large surpluses or discriminating against U.S. goods—framed as both economic repair and national-security policy to rebuild domestic industry ^{[2] [7] [1]}.

2. Reshoring, industrial policy and weaponizing economic leverage

Beyond tariffs, MAGA theorists and planners envision active industrial policy to onshore production and rebuild an industrial base, using economic levers—including threats to trade access or dollar valuation—as strategic tools to pressure allies and rivals alike; critics warn this treats economic policy as jurisdictional power rather than neutral market facilitation ^{[6] [2]}.

3. Deregulation, reform of science funding and an anti‑stagnation pitch

Proponents sell MAGAnomics as an anti‑stagnation agenda that mixes deregulation (energy, finance, environmental rules) with proposals to reform how government funds research and innovation to spur “building” and technological growth—a blend intended to appeal to builders and entrepreneurs while shrinking regulatory constraints ^{[5] [8]}.

4. Tax policy: continuity and controversy from TCJA to new pledges

MAGA’s recent history includes the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—lower corporate rates and individual changes that became a touchstone for claims of pro‑business growth—while newer rhetoric alternates between promising further tax relief and signaling readiness to use taxes or tariffs to protect domestic producers, creating tensions between traditional supply‑side conservatives and nationalist populists ^{[3] [8]}.

5. Anti‑corporate populism and the paradox of state intervention

A striking feature is MAGA’s hostility to certain corporate elites even as it courts business-friendly measures; analysts document an escalation toward government picking winners, directing capital, and at times threatening or coercing firms—moves that alienate many traditional free‑market conservatives and prompt warnings that MAGA practices resemble command‑economy interventions ^{[4] [9]}.

6. Immigration, labor and the political economy of “working‑class” revival

Economic prescriptions are fused with nativist immigration controls: reducing migration is cast as central to boosting wages and protecting jobs for native workers, a political-economic argument meant to translate cultural grievance into material policy promises that underpin MAGA’s appeal to certain working‑class constituencies ^{[1] [10]}.

7. Debate, factional splits and limits of the record

Observers diverge: supporters portray MAGA measures as bold remedies for industrial decline and technological stagnation; critics call them protectionist, inflationary and ripe for cronyism ^{[5] [4]}. Reporting signals internal strains—business leaders, tech financiers and some MAGA ideologues clash over tariffs and spending—but available sources do not fully resolve how these tensions will translate into durable law or long‑term macroeconomic outcomes ^{[11] [4]}.

Bottom line

MAGA’s economic agenda is coherently nationalist in goal—prioritizing trade barriers, onshoring and tighter immigration—but incoherent in practice, pairing deregulatory, pro-growth rhetoric with interventionist, anti‑elite measures that risk market distortions; whether it yields a revitalized industrial base or a fractious, state‑directed economy depends on policy choices and which MAGA faction prevails ^{[2] [5] [9]}.