Source: Axios : Trump’s Global Tariffs
What’s happening?
- Former President Donald Trump, now back in office, has enacted blanket tariffs on imports from around 60 countries, with a baseline of 10%—and more on some nations like China and Mexico.
- Trump describes this as a “universal baseline tariff”, aimed at reviving American manufacturing and reducing dependence on foreign countries.
- These tariffs officially went into effect today.
Why he’s doing it:
- The administration claims these tariffs will:
- Reinvigorate American industry
- Bring back manufacturing jobs
- Reduce trade deficits
- Reinvigorate American industry
- Trump argues this approach will boost the economy, asserting:
“Foreign nations have long taken advantage of the U.S.—those days are over.”
The backlash:
- Economists and business leaders warn this could lead to:
- Rising inflation in the U.S.
- Supply chain delays
- Retaliatory tariffs from other countries
- Rising inflation in the U.S.
- Major corporations like Apple, Ford, and Walmart are bracing for cost increases that may be passed on to consumers (Trump’s Global Tariffs).
Global reaction:
- The EU and Canada have already signaled they will respond with countermeasures.
- The World Trade Organization (WTO) has expressed “deep concern,” hinting this could be a violation of global trade norms.
Allies like Japan and South Korea are worried about being lumped in with adversarial states, complicating diplomatic relations.
Summary: Why You Should Care
These two developments aren’t isolated—they’re reshaping the global economic order. We’re seeing:
- A return to protectionism
- A potential fragmentation of global trade alliances
- Rising geopolitical tensions that could impact everything from your grocery bill to global inflation
If this keeps up, we might be heading into a new era of economic nationalism, with trade wars and inflation becoming the new normal.
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Read More : WTO Warns: Trump’s Tariffs to Shrink Global Trade in 2025