President Trump’s new tariffs are poised to wreak havoc on U.S. and global markets. Experts are baffled, stock markets are reeling, and uncertainty is peaking.
Whether tariffs are good policy or not is debatable. But economists of every stripe agree on this:
Trump’s tariffs are based on bad math.
The administration’s formula – calculating tariffs as half the trade deficit with a country, expressed as a fraction of total imports – sounds technical and “mathy.” But it’s not math, it’s politics. It reflects a simplistic view of economics, ignoring global supply chains, product complexity, retaliatory impacts and historic trends.
But we cannot just blame Trump. His approach reflects a deeper national problem: a culture of innumeracy.
For decades, Americans have been taught math as a dry academic exercise, divorced from real life. We drill students on formulas but fail to build mathematical reasoning — a critical tool for civic participation, economic mobility and understanding the world.
Math is not just a classroom subject; it’s a foundational civic resource.
In a data-driven society, numeracy is essential for making decisions evaluating information and holding leaders accountable. Civil rights leader Bob Moses rightfully called math literacy the civil rights issue of the 21st century. Without it, people are effectively locked out of full participation in public, political and economic life.
Despite its relevance, math remains intimidating for many. Yet when students encounter math through real-world issues — like voting systems, public policy or social justice — their perspective shifts. At Wellesley College, the Mathematics of Democracy course invites students who once believed they were “not math people” to explore how data and policy decisions shape civic life. They discover that math is not a barrier but a tool for understanding and shaping their world, gaining new confidence and seeing themselves as active participants in democracy.
How can we make such experiences the norm?
First, we must elevate mathematical thinking to the same importance as reading and writing. Math provides the clarity, structure and precision needed to confront today’s biggest challenges — from climate change and economic inequality to artificial intelligence and algorithmic decision-making. Whether you’re planning for college costs or interpreting climate data, math skills enfranchise you to scrutinize claims, assess risks and make decisions grounded in evidence. In a world flooded with misinformation, fostering these skills is not optional — it’s urgent.
Second, we must embrace math as the universal language that transcends political, ideological and cultural divides. Unlike any other mode of communication, mathematics offers a starting point rooted not in emotion or partisanship, but in objectivity — where evidence, data and reason lead the conversation. Mathematical thinking fosters not only analysis but also empathy and collaboration, providing a shared foundation for understanding.
We see this in global efforts: math underpins epidemiology’s role in eradicating disease, informs collective action on the climate crisis and drives sound monetary policy by grounding diverse perspectives in common models and data.
Math is a unifier — a place of shared perception where alliances can form, even when unity feels elusive.
Finally, we must recognize math as a driver of social change.
Across the globe, communities are using math to advance agriculture, natural disaster mitigation, public transportation, pollution, healthcare, energy and more. Mathematics is on the front lines of combating misinformation, algorithmic bias (including in AI) and polarization incited by social media. In an information economy, numeracy is not just an advantage, it’s a necessity for achieving fully engaged citizenship.
Each of us deserves to reach our potential as a participant in society. Math is an indispensable tool for that— but only if we teach and value it as such. When students see themselves reflected in math — not as passive recipients of numbers and formulas but as active problem-solvers — they gain the confidence not just to succeed personally but to challenge unsound policies, fight injustice and shape a better future.
America doesn’t just have a trade deficit problem. It has a math deficit problem. And until we address it, bad policy—and bad math—will continue to hold us back.
Vicki Abeles is a documentary filmmaker. Ismar Volic is a professor of mathematics at Wellesley College.
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