The president’s reasons for imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico keep changing (and none make sense).

Donald Trump just imposed a 25 percent tariff on virtually all goods produced by America’s two largest trading partners — Canada and Mexico. He simultaneously established a 20 percent across-the-board tariff on Chinese goods.

As a result, America’s average tariff level is now higher than at any time since the 1940s.

Meanwhile, China and Canada immediately retaliated against Trump’s duties, with the former imposing a 15 percent tariff on American agricultural products and the latter putting a 25 percent tariff on $30 billion of US goods. Mexico has vowed to mount retaliatory tariffs of its own.

This trade war could have far-reaching consequences. Trump’s tariffs have already triggered a stock market sell-off and cooling of manufacturing activity. And economists have estimated that the trade policy will cost the typical US household more than $1,200 a year, as the prices of myriad goods rise.

All this raises the question: Why has the US president chosen to upend trade relations on the North American continent? The stakes of this question are high, since it could determine how long Trump’s massive tariffs remain in effect. Unfortunately, the president himself does not seem to know the answer.

In recent weeks, Trump has provided five different — and contradictory — justifications for his tariffs on Mexico and Canada…

…more in the article.

  • Hacksaw@lemmy.caEnglish
    7·
    3 hours ago

    Dude that makes no sense at all. He wants to depreciate the dollar by putting on tariffs, an action you yourself admit depreciates all OTHER currencies, thereby increasing the value of the dollar?

    Then after that he’ll “negotiate” to have the other countries to appreciate their currencies? By buying US goods and companies?? Both of those things appreciate the US dollar. China has been selling their goods to the US (something which should appreciate their currency) without appreciating their currency by buying property and companies in the US so they never have to use the US dollar to buy their own currency. This increases the value of the dollar while decreasing demands for the Chinese currency. This has been widely seen as unfair currency manipulation by China.

    Things that increase demand for US dollars such as buying US goods and investing in the US APPRECIATE the value of of the US dollar. I haven’t read the article yet, but I hope your summary is incorrect, because Varoufakis is generally a very intelligent left wing thinker and I would be surprised to see this kind of gaffe in basic economics.

    Edit: here is a link to the article since the one above didn’t work for me.

    https://www.yanisvaroufakis.eu/2025/02/21/donald-trumps-economic-masterplan-unherd/

    While tariffs would work against Trump’s plan (by deppreciating foreign currencies) they give Trump revenue he can spend with congressional approval. Then for the countries that make a deal he’ll either force them to appreciate their currencies by swapping US dollars for their own currency (to depreciate the dollar), OR make them buy very long term US bonds (stabilizing the US debt markets) and buying US weapons (diluting the cost of US military R&D). Trump hopes this lets him depreciate the dollar while keeping it as a reserve currency (having his cake and eating it too).