What are the real intentions of Donald Trump’s trade war? Does he really believe tariffs work to boost economic growth domestically? Does he see them as tools to prop up American businesses, as his Vice President does? Or, as in his first term, are threats of import levies almost purely about leverage – and if so, what does he want?
Last-ditch efforts to pause 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods seem to have worked, with both countries pledging to better police illegal immigration and drug trafficking across the borders. Trump has suspended the implementation of tariffs for 30 days to see if both countries can move towards what he calls ‘FAIRNESS FOR ALL’.
Yet how Canada ended up in the same bucket as Mexico remains a mystery, even to those who are sympathetic to the President’s agenda.
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