Having confirmed the imposition of tariffs on $50 billion of Chinese goods last week, Donald Trump raised the stakes and the possibility of a trade war higher on Monday by threatening duties on another $200 billion.
I joined Monocle 24’s The Briefing on Tuesday to discuss the Trump Administration’s approach, which is willing to absorb economic costs for a perceived political advantage — and an ideological mission of American primacy.
Protectionists like Peter Navarro and Stephen Miller see this as not only that the US has to be first — “our way or the highway” — but that it has to do so now because, in 10 or 15 years, China will have grown so much that the US will have lost its opportunity.
Listen from 1:06:
