US tariffs are a sign of insecurity and fear, marking the end of the great American century

Multiple surveys point to a recession, or more accurately a Trump-cession, not to mention the sell-off in US stock markets, which suggests we are on the cusp of something enormous. Photograph: Getty Images Once you start looking, the signs of an American recession are everywhere. The second-hand market is heating up, a classic pre-recession indicator. People are unloading luxury goods. Second-hand clothes apps, such as RealReal, Depop and Grailed, are filling up with designer handbags and sneakers bought during the la-la economy of the pandemic. This always happens before a crash. You might remember that eBay boomed before the 2008…