Donald Trump was in his element of the oval office this week. Surrounded by cameras, sandwiched between billionaires allies, the president said hell was tough, facing a barrage of questions about whether he was ready to unleash a trade war with his closest US neighbors.
His narrative made the strong economy flex and hurry at his will. A few hours ago, Mexico announced a series of measures across the border, urging the White House to quickly postpone the 25% tariff levy on all items. Canada has announced similar measures and will receive the same reprieve later that day.
But one reporter had the extreme to ask if Trump blinked. “It didn’t flash,” he shot back, claiming that illegal immigrants and fentanyl “we don’t intend to come from Mexico anymore” as a result of the initiative that was caught up in by the government that morning.
In fact, it flashed the third time in two weeks. According to Trump, tariffs are a “beautiful” way to revive the US economy, and his central America has once again made the agenda great. However, he repeatedly pulled back from the brink when the push thrusts out.
In Canada and Mexico, the initial pledge to impose tariffs from day one of his new administration shifted to February 1st without explanation. When February 1st rolled, February 4th was the new deadline.
After that, after Canada and Mexico, a large number of staff (10,000, give or take) promised to place their respective borders on the US and staff, relatively vague to enhance security With a commitment, Trump kicked the can. I’ll run for a month.
The White House, as threatened, imposed tariffs on all exports from China to the US, but the 10% rate was significantly lower than Canada and Mexico’s 25% schedule. The call between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping is being debated, raising another quick resignation prospect.
And while Trump claims to be in a hurry to get the phone, it’s a key element of China’s tariffs – it closes a long-standing loophole when they’re billed for less than $800 from the country You’d have confirmed – it was quietly delayed, ostensibly for administrative reasons.
On Friday, when it became clear that the removal of the minimum exemption was delayed, Trump made even more tariffs threaten more countries. These “mutual” obligations will be announced next week, he said, in line with promises on the campaign trail.
For men who are obsessed with the “beauty” of tariffs, they say they can raise trillions of dollars for the US and use them to threaten to attack their country’s biggest trading partners .
There are three main reasons for this. The first thing Trump has spoken about is its use as a negotiation tool. “Taxes are very powerful in getting you financially and everything else you want,” he told reporters this week.
However, these potential uses (no matter how powerful) are alternatives rather than complementary. The US cannot raise billions from tariffs it did not, for example, on Canada. Because Justin Trudeau has appointed “Emperor Fentanyl” and won Trump by pledging to establish a “Strike Force.”
Second, the scale of what Trump proposed corresponds to an extraordinary experiment. Many times he said, how the US federal government raises money, and Americans tax more people and tax Americans by introducing wide universal tariffs in other countries. It does not outline anything other than a historic overhaul.
However, tariffs are imposed on goods from other countries, but are paid by the US companies that import them. They may be challenging the demand for, say, Canadian wood and Mexican avocados, and damaging the economies of either country, but only by increasing prices within the US economy.
This brings us to the third and perhaps most important factor behind Trump’s attention. Should he drive this strategy and drive it to reality that goes beyond brunt?
Tariffs could cause “some pain” in the United States due to the president’s own admission. According to the Tax Foundation, many economists have warned of even higher prices, lower growth rates, and a package of duties in Canada, Mexico and China alone to increase taxes by more than $800 per US household in 2025.
American businesses are also facing retaliation. Companies include Alphabet, the owner of Google and YouTube. Owner of PVH Corp, fashion brand Calvin Klein. And the agricultural equipment maker was dressed in the Chinese crosshairs after the US imposed tariffs this week.
Millions of Americans continue to be under pressure after years of increased inflation. Trump has reclaimed the White House after multiple promises to rapidly lower prices. However, tariffs risk sending them in the opposite direction.
Much of Trump’s political success over the past decade has been underpinned by his extraordinary ability to control the story and the use of rhetoric to distort reality.
However, those who voted for President last November placed their faith in him to ease the financial burden. Their cost of living is exposed every time they fill their cars, pick up groceries and open their latest bills, but they don’t depend on posts about true social, press conferences or meetings.
You may blink a few times, but before many people take on the burden, they take many actions.
