The Chinese government placed retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods and 8% on all other countries, and by 2019 the average tariffs on American imports into China had increased to 20.7% while those on other countries had declined to 6.7%. The European Union, Mexico and India also implemented retaliatory tariffs.

A survey of leading economists by Reuters in 2018 showed that 80% felt the steel and aluminum tariffs could be harmful to the U.S. economy while the tariffs on other products could have little to no effect.

In May 2018, more than 1,000 economists wrote a letter warning Trump about the dangers of pursuing a trade war, arguing that the tariffs were echoing historical policy errors, such as the Smoot–Hawley Tariff Act, which helped lead to the Great Depression.

Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution states: “Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises.” However, on several occasions in recent times, Congress shifted this responsibility regarding tariffs to the President.

As of 1977, the International Emergency Economic Powers Act conferred more powers upon the White House, which the Trump administration has used to bolster its claims that the President is empowered with the authority to raise tariffs without any limits during a national emergency of any kind.  This also meant any national security risk perceived by the President – at present being the national trade deficit.

Meaning Trump and his administration feel they have carte blanche to implement tariffs even though Article 1 of the Constitution squarely lays this authority on Congress, which has seen fit to disregard and not challenge the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and neither has the Supreme Court even though it re-calibrates power and responsibilities at the highest levels of government. 

Rather than a collective body of senators and state congressional representatives reviewing and voting on issues of global impact, the federal government and The People of The United States, since 1977, have allowed this gap to go on, because it suited everyone. There was no need to ratify any amendments to the IEEPA after its initial roll out, presumably its enactment was TO LIMIT Presidential powers during an emergency. 

However, senior officials, watchdog agencies, the “press cartel”, senators, labor associations, the National Chess Club, professional associations [doctors, CPAs, engineers] have had over 40 plus years to call for the amendment of the IEEPA and similar legislation allowing for convenient overrides

on the Constitution – We The People want to always pretend innocence and ignorance even though it is government by the people, from the people, for the people. How can a dirty contractor pretend they had no clue about their liability?  Omission, error, lack of oversight? All of the above and more loopholes so

when someone high up does a 180, We the People have a convenient scapegoat to fry.  On February 1, 2025, a White House Press notice stated “President Donald J. Trump is implementing a 25% additional tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and a 10% additional tariff on imports from China.

The problem with tariffs is that they are anti-competitive and the antithesis of open and free markets. Long a champion and leader of free market economies, the USA is now squarely promoting controlled and closed markets economics, no longer a function of supply and demand.

We are now abandoning the idea of free trade in favor of supersized industrial monopolies, fixed and manipulated markets. This never started with Trump, it started with the American People looking away while a succession of administrations in the hands of capitalist lobbyist took control.

We were just too happy with Trickle Down Reaganomics and the appearance of the USA/Blazing Away, ahead of everyone else, just loving more into our pocketbooks and driveways, more into the suburban “Ponderosa” ranch life in the middle of the desert, while the Midwest grew ever more vacant.

Need more water to make the desert bloom?

We just pump billions of metric tons of groundwater and create anomalies in the Earth’s spin in orbit around the solar furnace, no worries, Mate! All Hands on Deck? Teamwork, there no “i” in nor “eye” in “We”, Oui ou Non? It’s always Oui and We where this kind of “change” is afoot.