FIVE MONTHS SHY OF HIS 73RD BIRTHDAY, AND WITH
his place in business and cultural history secure, FedEx Corp.
founder Fred Smith has embarked on what could be his most
profound mission: To preserve decades worth of U.S. trade
gains from Donald Trump’s policy ax.
The battle was joined just one day after Trump killed
the 12-nation trade compact known as the “Trans-Pacific
critics, hit national TV to warn that the
administration’s positions “are a little bit
out of date with the reality of China today.”
He acknowledged the country’s pattern
of relentless mercantilism but argued that
it is slowly yet systematically opening its
markets. Retreating rather than embracing
global engagement, he said, essentially cuts
off our nose to spite our face.
The beat went on a week later when
Smith told Congress that when companies
Citing forecasts that global e-commerce will become a $9.6
