Trump’s self-defeating trade agenda

WHILE US President Donald Trump pursued a range of protectionist policies during his first term, the economic chaos and uncertainty he has unleashed since returning to the White House and launching his global trade war make those earlier efforts look mild by comparison.

Railing against countries that run trade surpluses with the US, Trump has vowed to impose “reciprocal tariffs” until all of America’s trade deficits are eliminated. Yet he has imposed sweeping tariffs even on countries with which the US runs a trade surplus, such as Australia.

The Trump administration has cited a wide range of reasons for its tariff hikes beyond reducing bilateral trade deficits, including national security, job creation and raising government revenue.