President Trump made one of the biggest gambles of his presidency Tuesday by initiating sweeping tariffs with no clear rationale on imports from Canada, Mexico and China, triggering a trade war that risks undermining the United States economy. His actions have upended diplomatic relations with America’s largest trading partners, sent markets tumbling, and provoked retaliation on U.S. products — leaving …
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Trump’s Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China Snap Into Effect
Sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China went into effect just after midnight on Tuesday, raising U.S. tariffs to levels not seen in decades and rattling foreign governments and businesses that depend on international trade. As of 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the Trump administration added a 25 percent tariff on all imports from Canada and Mexico. The administration also …
Read More »Trump Will Impose 25 Percent Tariffs on Canada and Mexico on Tuesday
President Trump said Monday that sweeping tariffs on Canada and Mexico would go into effect on Tuesday morning, saying in remarks at the White House there was no chance for a last-minute deal to avert the levies. “The tariffs, you know, they’re all set,” Mr. Trump said. “They go into effect tomorrow.” The tariffs will add a 25 percent fee …
Read More »Trump Turns Up Trade Pressure on China After Beijing Fails to Come Running
When President Trump threatened tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China in January, saying those countries needed to do more to stop the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States, Canadian and Mexican officials raced to Washington, bearing charts and videos detailing their efforts to toughen their borders. Canada created a “fentanyl czar” and committed fresh resources to combating …
Read More »Trump Picks Another Trade Fight With Canada Over Lumber
President Trump on Saturday initiated an investigation into whether imports of lumber threaten America’s national security, a step that is likely to further inflame relations with Canada, the largest exporter of wood to the United States. The president directed his commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, to carry out the investigation. The results of the inquiry could allow the president to apply …
Read More »When It Comes to Tariffs, Trump Can’t Have It All
President Trump has issued an unremitting stream of tariff threats in his first month in office, accompanied by nearly as many reasons for why they should go into effect. Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China are a cudgel to force those countries, America’s largest trading partners, to crack down on the flow of drugs and migrants into the United States. …
Read More »Trump’s New Crackdown on China Is Just Beginning
President Trump’s tough talk on China typically centers on tariffs. But a closer look at the decisions he has made since taking office shows that the president is considering a far wider set of economic restrictions on Beijing, ones that could hasten America’s split from a critical trading partner. The Trump administration has so far proposed expanding restrictions on investments …
Read More »What Germany’s Election Result Means for Its Economy
Friedrich Merz and his center-right Christian Democrats emerged victorious in Germany’s election on Sunday, but the celebrations may be short. The next government, almost certainly led by Mr. Merz as chancellor, faces a stagnant economy, President Trump’s threat to put tariffs on the country’s crucial export industries and a fourth year of war in Ukraine. What’s more, the ability to …
Read More »Senate Confirms Howard Lutnick as Commerce Secretary
The Senate on Tuesday voted 51 to 45 to confirm Howard Lutnick to be President Trump’s commerce secretary, putting in place one of the administration’s top economic officials who will help oversee an agenda around tariffs and protectionism. Mr. Lutnick, who was the chief executive of the financial services firm Cantor Fitzgerald, became a central economic adviser to Mr. Trump …
Read More »Can the Federal Reserve Look Past Trump’s Tariffs?
As President Trump’s efforts to restructure the global trade system with expansive tariffs begin to take shape, one question continues to dog officials at the Federal Reserve: How will these policies impact the central bank’s plans to lower interest rates? One influential Fed governor made clear on Monday that he did not expect Mr. Trump’s policies to derail the Fed’s …
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