Trump Escalates Global Trade War, Pauses Military Aid to Ukraine

On today's podcast:

1) Trump Escalates Global Trade War, Sparking Tit-for-Tat Tariffs. President Donald Trump delivered on his threat to hit Canada and Mexico with sweeping import levies and doubled an existing charge on China, spurring swift reprisals that plunged the world economy into a deepening trade war. The US new tariffs — 25% duties on most Canadian and Mexican imports and raising the charge on China to 20% — impact roughly $1.5 trillion in annual imports, an expansive move signaling to markets that the Republican president is committed to wielding import duties to obtain fresh revenue and create domestic manufacturing jobs.

2) What Trump Aims to Achieve With His Tariffs. After promising during his election campaign to put import taxes back at the center of US economic policy, President Donald Trump moved swiftly once back in office, announcing significant new tariffs aimed at America’s trading partners. The tactics — implementing new tariffs and threatening others in an effort to intimidate or gain leverage on other disputes — represent a dramatic shift in a global economy where most major economies have sought to reduce trade barriers.

3) Trump Pauses Military Aid to Ukraine After Clash With Zelenskiy President Donald Trump ordered a pause to all US military aid to Ukraine, turning up the heat on Volodymyr Zelenskiy days after an Oval Office blowup with the Ukrainian president left support from his country’s most important ally in doubt. The US is holding up all pending military assistance until Trump determines Ukraine’s leaders demonstrate a good-faith commitment to peace, according to a senior Defense Department official, who asked not to be identified discussing private deliberations. The administration will also review the aid to make sure it’s contributing to a solution to the conflict, a White House official said.

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