Trump, who has referred to himself as “Tariff Man,” has been stocking an arsenal of protectionist measures for a potential second term, filled primarily with new levies on imports from China and elsewhere.
In campaign documents and media interviews, Trump has floated placing a tariff of 10% on all imported goods and matching tariffs on trading partners with higher rates “an eye for an eye, a tariff for a tariff.” He wants to revoke normal trading relations with China, a legal step that would automatically raise levies on everything from toys and aircraft to industrial materials.
“For Trump, trade is his alpha and his omega, and trade policy is foreign policy,” said David Boling, a former trade official under the Trump and Biden administrations now with political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group. “We should expect something on day one of his new administration.”
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