The Dispatch, March 2025
In a December 2018 Twitter thread criticizing China for its unfair trade practices, President Donald Trump declared himself “a Tariff Man.” But back then, the conventional wisdom was that this sort of tough talk was all bark and no bite. Trump implemented a series of tariffs during his first term, but the duties represented a significantly pared-back version of the trade war he had initially envisioned.
Now, as the president promises to enact sweeping tariffs on a range of U.S. trade partners this week, gone are any assurances that Trump’s threats are mostly bluster. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced plans to impose 25 percent duties on foreign cars and car parts, effective April 3 at 12:01 a.m. ET. He has also vowed to correct trade imbalances through so-called reciprocal tariffs on goods from multiple countries, dubbing April 2 “Liberation Day,” when Americans will be freed from the yoke of purportedly abusive foreign trade practices.
