A big part of Donald Trump’s appeal, at least to his supporters, is that he has a strong resolve. He goes after what he wants, and he gets it, whether it’s a business deal, or the presidency itself.
But one thing that Trump’s second presidency has been marked by is a series of reversals, starting with the policy with which his current presidency has been most closely associated, tariffs.
Nonstop Reversals for Donald Trump
As pointed out this week by NBC News, Trump’s tariffs and trade policy has been marked all along by reversals and inconsistency.
The report states that during the presidential transition, Trump was clear that he wanted to impose tariffs quickly. However, one “candidate for a top position” proposed that he move more deliberately. That person did not end up getting the administration job that they sought.
Indeed, chaos is what Trump has chosen- and it’s led to uncertainty and volatility in the markets, as well as dropping approval ratings for the president.
Tariff Timeline
Ever since the day of his second inauguration, Trump has been going back and forth on tariffs.
According to a New York Times timeline, published this week, Trump announced on his first day back in office that he would place 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, starting on February 1. Six days later, he announced 25 percent tariffs on Colombia, although he soon reached an agreement to back down from those as well.
When February 1 rolled around, Trump imposed the Canada and Mexico tariffs, while adding a 10 percent levy on goods from China. Two days later, he “paused” the Canada and Mexico tariffs. Later in February, Trump started hinting at a major tariff announcement in early April. The Canada and Mexico tariffs went into effect on March 4, leading to retaliation, although the following day, he announced he would exempt cars and more exemptions were announced two days later.
On April 2, which he referred to as “Liberation Day,” Trump announced a 10 percent across-the-board tariff on nearly every country in the world, which would go into effect a week later, leading China and other countries to retaliate.
After days of spiraling markets and worrying signs of the bond market, Trump backed down later that day, imposing a 90-day “pause” on most of the non-China tariffs, although he also raised the tariffs. This change led markets to surge that day, although they fell again the next day.
While markets have been more stable this week, the drama is far from over, with the 90-day pause lasting through July. It’s exceedingly likely that tariff chaos is going to remain a feature of news cycles throughout Trump’s second presidency.
A Tariff Lawsuit
Meanwhile, there’s another wrinkle with the tariffs: Trump has been sued by the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian-leaning public-interest firm, arguing that he did not have the power to impose the levies. The suit was filed by the Center on behalf of five businesses who say they were affected by the tariffs, per The Hill.
“Our system is not set up so that one person in the system can have the power to impose taxes across the world economy,” Jeffrey Schwab, senior counsel at Liberty Justice Center, said in an interview with The Hill. “That’s not how our constitutional republic works.”
The suit was filed in the U.S. Court of International Trade.
A Ticking Clock For Trump
The NBC story notes that Trump’s presidency faces a “deadline” of next year’s midterm election when Republicans could lose control of one or both houses of Congress, at which point “the Trump presidency could well be over for practical purposes.”
A Democratic majority not only could block any legislative agenda, but also use subpoena power to investigate various acts by the Trump Administration. And Trump, unlike in his first presidency, would be a lame duck at that point.
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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