Trump will change his tune on tariffs once in power

According to Donald Trump, the most beautiful word in the dictionary” is tariff”.

- CHRIS BLACKHURST

It says much about the US president-elect’s values doubtless, we can all think of plenty of other words but that’s his choice and we have to live with the consequences.

Yesterday, true to his selection, we received an inkling of what is to come as he fired the first salvo, promising to impose levies of 25 per cent on all imports from Canada and Mexico and an extra 10 per cent on Chinese goods. They will come into effect on his first day in office. The tariffs would remain “until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country”, Trump posted on Truth Social.

The use of capitals is indicative. This is going to be a commander-in-chief, who for now anyway, brooks no opposition, who sees trade as a way of imposing social, domestic policies on other nations.

Part of Trump’s beef with China for instance is that Beijing has not followed through its pledge to subject people found dealing the deadly synthetic opioid, fentanyl, to the death penalty. With Mexico, it’s the perceived failure to crack down on the “onslaught of criminals and drugs” crossing the US border. He’s also determined to target the import of Chinese cars from Mexico, threatening “whatever tariffs are required – 100 per cent, 200 per cent, 1,000 per cent”.