Andrew Hale
Since his election, President-elect Donald Trump has outlined targeted tariff proposals aimed at addressing pressing international issues. The most successful relates to Canada and Mexico’s responsibility for illegal immigration. Increasingly, targeted tariffs are being used as sanctions in areas well beyond trade policy.
Trump is already discussing his desire to use Section 301, 201 and 232 tariffs in his second term as a diplomatic tool to achieve “America First” ends that go well beyond traditional trade policy. Every statement made by the president-elect is preemptive, intended to drive change ahead of his inauguration.
Trump’s first proposal targets the ongoing border crisis, calling for significant action from Canada and Mexico to curb illegal immigration. Trump suggested that both countries could face a targeted use of tariffs for their role in the illegal invasion of the United States.
Just hours after Trump threatened these tariffs, both countries’ leaders reached out to the president-elect. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau even flew to Florida to address Trump’s concerns and ensure compliance with Trump’s demands for securing the northern border.
How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love This Tariff-Like System
This is what using targeted tariffs to secure good diplomatic outcomes looks like, and it should be celebrated. Our neighbors to the north and south were immediately put on notice, reacting favorably to the American position. This demonstrates that the world respects Trump, and American leadership on the global stage is making a comeback.
Conversely, the Biden administration permitted Mexico and other countries to walk all over U.S. interests and violate treaties with the U.S. Only after Trump left office did former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador of Mexico violate the USMCA free-trade agreement by eradicating Mexico’s regulatory bodies and replacing the Mexican judicial system with elected judges, even at the Supreme Court level.
With Trump in charge, » Read More
https://www.heritage.org/trade/commentary/trumps-targeted-tariff-proposals-are-already-notable-success