Most Americans remain baffled by Trump’s reckless imposition of tariffs, some of which made little rhyme or reason in the world of economics, except how these actions would clearly impact daily purchases and income. One number that certainly stood out for even lesser-informed citizens was the 145 percent maximum rate on Chinese imports.
We, however, were more interested in the tariffs imposed on two African nations: Gabon and Lesotho. Both are examples of Trump’s indiscriminate application of tariffs. His tariffs on goods that the U.S. does not and cannot produce, such as the manganese from Gabon, so essential in the production of steel was much like many of his policies — go figure! Similarly, his saddling of Lesotho, a poor, tiny southern African nation with a 50% tariff rate, was unsettling, and among the highest issued.
To sort out a portion of this tariff dilemma we turn to Wally Adeyemo, a deputy secretary during the Biden administration. Back in February, he was a panelist at the Institute of Global Politics at Columbia University event co-hosted by Hillary Clinton to discuss Trump’s policies. He began by noting that the use of unilateral tariffs means that nations that have been “traditionally our allies and partners” may have to rethink their relationship to the U.S.
“One of the things the president has done is that he has taken what often used to be a separation between foreign policy and economic policy, and in lots of ways, melded them to say that the chief interest for him is really around what can we do to further America’s economic interest in the world,” Adeyemo said. Moreover, with an eye toward the policies of future leaders, he said, “One of the most important things for me is thinking about who are going to be, the next set of leaders, not only in our country, but around the world, because leadership matters. The only way things get done is when you have good leaders who think creatively about the future and are willing to make hard decisions.”
America is clearly not at this point with either a leader who thinks creatively or is capable of making hard or rational decisions. At the moment, Trump has hit the pause button on his tariffing measures, though that hardly means a break for clear thinking. Was he at last conceding to pressure from his fellow Republicans, the billionaire clique, or key investors? Even more problematic is a possible respite to merely recalibrate and apply even stiffer, more far-reaching tariffs, if that’s conceivable.