Will Trump follow through on his tariff threat on Canada and Mexico?

No one can really act surprised if Donald Trump pushes ahead with substantial tariffs on Canada and Mexico tomorrow. ‘Tariff’ is the President’s favourite word, as he said many times on the campaign trail in the lead up to last November’s US election. The only words that could compete for the top slot were ‘love’ and ‘religion’. So, the countdown to 1 February – when a staggering 25 per cent border tax is slapped on the countries north and south of America’s border – isn’t, in theory, some dreaded doomsday for Trump. If anything, it’s more like the countdown to Christmas.

But is this really the end game for the President, who has promised the American people both tariffs and cheaper goods at the same time? Before the election, those close to Team Trump were always in a hurry to say that tariffs are negotiating tactics: a threat that, in the best-case scenario, can lead to changes that allow for even more trade.