Finance & economics | Tariff Man Part Two

Donald Trump’s second term would be a protectionist nightmare

His first term was bad enough

Collage featuring a prominent portrayal of Donald Trump's face. In the background, various elements like shipping containers, steel materials, and aluminum components.
Image: Anthony Gerace
|Washington, DC

Sequels are never as good as the original. And when the original was terrible, there is even more reason to dread the next episode. So it is with “Tariff Man Part Two”. In the White House, Donald Trump put more new tariffs on American imports than any president in nearly a century. His philosophy was simple: “I am a Tariff Man. When people or countries come in to raid the great wealth of our Nation, I want them to pay for the privilege of doing so.”

This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Tariff Man Part Two, a tragedy”

From the November 4th 2023 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Finance & economics

The stars of the European Union flag falling down to the bottom of the flag.

Europe could be torn apart by new divisions

The continent is at its most vulnerable in decades

A bond flying away tied to a red balloon, in the spotlight.

How corporate bonds fell out of fashion

The market is at its hottest in years—and a shadow of its former self



China’s markets take a fresh beating

Authorities have responded by bossing around investors

Can America’s economy cope with mass deportations?

Production slowdowns, more imports and pricier housing could follow

Would an artificial-intelligence bubble be so bad?

A new book by Byrne Hobart and Tobias Huber argues there are advantages to financial mania