Donald Trump’s Super Bowl tariffs are an act of self-harm
Duties on aluminium and steel will throttle American industry and fragment global markets
Last year dozens of countries proposed or introduced new tariffs on steel imports. Most aimed the measures at China, which they accused of flooding international markets with cheap metal. On February 9th Donald Trump took a different approach: he picked up a scattergun instead of a sniper’s rifle. As the president flew to the Super Bowl, he told reporters that he would announce new tariffs of 25% on aluminium and steel imports. On February 10th the levies duly arrived.
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This article appeared in the Finance & economics section of the print edition under the headline “Burning issue”
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