Trump correctly pointed out that our nation was its richest in the 1880s and 1890s, but he is incorrect to attribute that wealth to tariffs. The reason we were so rich back then is that government was so tiny that we could afford to pay for it with tariffs. Back then, total federal spending was only about 2% of GDP. Today it’s over 23%. I'm with the president: let's eliminate 90% of the Federal Government, so we could pay for what's left with tariffs. Let's also eliminate the the Federal Reserve and go back to a gold standard, just like the 1890s. Let's get rid of income and Social Security taxes. Let's eliminate all the government departments created since 1890, like Commerce, Labor, Health, Education, Housing, Transportation, Energy, and Education. Let's get rid of the government agencies that didn't exist back then, like the SEC, FDIC, NCUA, CFTC, CFPB, FCC, EPA, OSHA, PBGC, FBI, CIA, TSA, and FEMA. If we repeal Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, ACA, Unemployment Insurance, SNAP, Welfare, Student loans, FHA/VA loans, SBA programs, and farm supports, to name a few. We should also repeal almost every federal law that has been passed since 1900. If we do all of that, then we can have tariffs and be rich again like we were in the 1880s and 1890s.