Trump's ‘Smart’ Tariffs Don't Make Economic Sense
The president says they'll protect American jobs and bolster national security. They'll likely do neither.
President Donald Trump’s long-anticipated tariffs are finally here: 25 percent on imported steel and 10 percent on imported aluminum, with a formal announcement on the measures to be made next week.
The White House has argued that the tariffs would punish China for unfair trade practices and help American blue-collar workers afflicted by decades of manufacturing job losses and wage stagnation. “We must not let our country, companies and workers be taken advantage of any longer. We want free, fair and SMART TRADE!,” President Trump wrote on on Thursday. But business leaders and economists from across the ideological
