Why President Trump’s Latest Tariffs Are the Most Nonsensical

This week, President Trump took to Twitter to announce new tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Brazil and Argentina. Although the Trump administration has had its share of puzzling trade war escalations — including declaring auto parts a threat to national security — this is potentially the most indefensible one yet. Anecdotally, the most frequent argument I hear from supporters of Trump’s trade policies is “we need to confront China.” On this point, I would simply note that it is both true that 1) China is guilty of serious, ongoing human rights abuses and 2) China’s greater embrace of

All I Want For Christmas Is a Trade Deal with China

Regardless of whether you support President Trump’s tariffs as a negotiating tactic or whether you view them as harmful and unlikely to net a better deal, my Christmas wish is that the U.S. and China reach a pro-growth trade agreement before the holidays. A recent string of headlines makes clear that continuing the ‘economic cold war’ is in neither party’s interest, and I hope my wish is shared by those on both sides of this debate. A look at China’s stock market over the past year suggests the tariffs have been a significant drag on the Chinese economy. But the

Hypocrisy: Trudeau Slams Trump for Tariffs, Ignores Canada’s Protectionism

After the recent G-7 Summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised eyebrows when he gave a blistering press conference calling out President Trump for his protectionist tariffs. Trudeau’s remarks were met by some, uh, colorful language by a senior member of the Trump administration, who was none too pleased by the Canadian leader’s political grandstanding. While I share the concerns of many about the potential impact of a trade war, and I consider free trade to be a cornerstone of American prosperity, Trudeau’s press conference brings to mind a certain proverb about removing the plank in one’s own eye before

Why Threatening Tariffs Is Unlikely to Get America a Better Deal

Today, President Trump sparked an early stock market sell-off with the announcement that his administration has identified $200 billion in Chinese goods that it could hit with tariffs. This potential $200 billion tax increase on imports (which will go into effect if the U.S. and China are unable to strike a broader trade agreement) was announced mere days after President Trump enforced his first $50 billion in new tariffs on Chinese goods. Although the markets were predictably whacked in the aftermath of this substantial trade war escalation, some Republicans appear to support tariffs as a ‘negotiating tactic’ for dealing with

A Trump Trade War Wouldn’t Put ‘America First’

President Trump rattled global markets this week after announcing his administration would pursue a new 25 percent import tariff on steel, and a new 10 percent import tariff on aluminum. To call a spade a spade — Trump’s tariffs amount to nothing less than a tax increase on American consumers. These tariffs will inevitably have a profound, negative impact on the U.S. economy, hence the negative reaction from the stock market. That said… one amusing consequence of President Trump’s tariff announcement has been the left-wing media’s newfound support for tax-free trade. The liberal press has suddenly had an epiphany —