Tariffs as Vendetta

TARIFFS AS VENDETTA

Pres. Trump is using tariffs to punish countries that are enacting policies he personally opposes, regardless of whether the tariffs are good for US foreign policy or the US economy. A few examples:

1. Trump has raised some tariffs on Canada to 35% because Canada has allegedly not curbed the flow of illicit drugs to the US, a bogus charge. He also blames Canada for retaliating against earlier tariffs and planning to recognize the Palestinian state.

2. India is being hit with a 25% rate in part because India buys Russian oil and weapons and is a member of the BRICS group (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa and others) which Trump charges with being “anti-American”.

3. South Africa gets a 30% rate because it is a member of BRICS and allegedly practices “white genocide”, a totally false claim.

4. Brazil has been singled out for nakedly political treatment, with a 50% rate. The main reason is Trump’s support for Jair Bolsonaro who lost the presidency to Lula Inacio da Silva in 2022 and tried to pull off a coup. Another reason is Brazil’s social media regulation to remove hate speech and anti-democratic and violent discourse.

Congress refuses to limit Trump’s ability to fix tariffs, so the US economy and foreign policy are subject to the whims of one man.

Source: The Financial Times, 8/1/25