President Trump is not backing down in his trade war. After initially raising tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of goods coming from China, the Trump administration also hiked tariffs on an additional $300 billion worth of goods.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Trump said: "We're having a little squabble with China because we've been treated very unfairly for many, many decades or actually a long time, and it should've been handled a long time ago, and it wasn't, and we'll handle it now. I think it's going to turn out extremely well. We're in a very strong position."

The additional tariffs come after China announced it will raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods coming from the United States. Trump is excited about this escalating trade war. Others in Washington are not.

Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both Republicans, have expressed concern and pessimism over Trump’s trade policy, especially when it comes to agriculture. The state they both represent, Iowa, ranks second in the nation in terms of agricultural exports between corn, soybeans, pork, and eggs. It’s also the nation’s leader in producing and exporting corn and ethanol, a biofuel additive for gasoline.

Meanwhile, the 2020 Democratic candidates are pinning all the blame on Trump.

Following the news of the initial tariffs being raised, Joe Biden told reporters in New Hampshire this week, "The president has done nothing but increase the tariffs, the debt, and the trade deficit. The way we have to proceed is we have to have our allies with us. It’s not just us. We have to keep the world together.” Earlier in May, Biden said that China are not bad folks and are not competition for the U.S.

The problem here is that many Democrats, like Biden, are pretending there's a moral equivalence between China and the U.S.

China is an authoritarian state run by the Communist Party. The Chinese people simply don’t have the same freedoms as Americans. Political dissent is punished. Freedom of religion is a farce.

Consider the Uighur Muslims, a religious and ethnic minority in the western province of Xinjiang, who have been persecuted by the Chinese government for practicing Islam. In addition to being subject to increased surveillance in daily life that includes owning books about Uighurs, growing a beard, having a prayer rug, or even quitting smoking or drinking, over a million Uighur Muslims are imprisoned in “re-education camps,” which can be argued as modern-day concentration camps.

Looking at the bigger picture, Trump’s trade war could be the extent of how far he’s willing to go with China. Yes, U.S. farmers and consumers will arguably be hurt by the tariffs. But China is a bad actor that has no interest in making the lives of Americans better. All they care about is expanding and cementing their power on the world stage. American politicians on both sides of the aisle should be quick to remember that.