President Donald Trump sees tariffs — or the threat of them — as a powerful tool to bend nations to his will.
He has used them in an unprecedented way, serving not only as the underpinning of his economic agenda but also as the cornerstone of his foreign policy during his second term.
He has wielded import taxes as a threat to secure ceasefires from countries at war. He has used them to browbeat nations into promising to do more to stop people and drugs from flowing across their borders. He has used them, in Brazil’s case, as political pressure after its judicial system prosecuted a former leader allied with Trump. In a recent dispute with Canada, the president also used tariffs as a punishment for a television advertisement.
This week, the Supreme Court hears arguments on whether Trump has overstepped federal law with many of his tariffs. A ruling against him could limit or even take away that swift and blunt leverage that much of his foreign policy has relied on.
Trump has increasingly expressed agitation and anxiety about the looming decision in a case he says is
Continue Reading on Euronews
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.