The Tit for Tat Tariff Gambit

The Trump administration’s approach to trade policy seems driven by an urge to even the score, no matter how unwieldy the mechanics might be. Threatening new tariffs and demanding reciprocal concessions, they appear ready to leverage America’s economic clout against nations deemed unfair by their benchmarks. Their professed goal is to close the gap between the United States’ comparatively low tariffs and the higher rates levied by its trade partners—an ambition that might resonate with Trump’s base but has trade economists bracing for the fallout.