Ford Joins Lawsuit Against Trump Tariffs Without Checking With Voters

Here’s a curious thing–Mr. Aaron Ford, the Attorney General of Nevada–a state known for desert sands and silver mines has decided his grand duty is not to the folks who sent him to office–but rather to the delicate feelings of foreign trade partners and the poor, suffering Mandarins of global economics. He’s hitched his little wagon to a parade of twelve other state AGs to sue the Trump administration over tariffs.

According to Mr. Ford, the president has “overstepped his authority” by using executive orders to slap tariffs on foreign goods. He claims the tariffs will cost Nevada businesses $985 million.

That’s quite the sum—but I’ve yet to meet a lawyer who could explain economics without getting tangled up in his necktie. And I wager Mr. Ford couldn’t tell you the difference between a tariff and a tip at the blackjack table.

What’s more, the good AG seems to forget he ain’t the global comptroller—he’s supposed to be working for Nevadans, many of whom rather like the fella in the White House with the golden hair and the itchy tariff finger. Trump didn’t get Nevada’s electoral votes by accident, and if he’s charging the gates of China with a tax ledger and a battle cry, a fair number of Nevadans are cheering from the sidelines.

But no matter. Mr. Ford has it in his head that saving Nevadans from their own voting choices is his sacred duty. He’s marching off to court like Don Quixote with a copy of Mao’s Little Red Book in one hand–and a CNBC report in the other, tilting at windmills he doesn’t understand but is sure are dangerous.

So, let the lawsuit roll on. The courts will have their say, and the pundits will fill the airwaves like crows on a cornfield.

As for me, I’ll be out here in the territory, watching these fine gentlemen argue over who’s running the country while the country shrugs and gets back to work. Mr. Ford may be many things—an economist, he ain’t.

And the next time he gets the urge to save Nevada from the perils of prosperity, perhaps someone might remind him who he works for.