Tariff Gambit
Plus: Elon Musk's purportedly illegal scheme, nicotine nation, and more...
Tariffs
Smaller Government Can Protect Against a Vengeful President
Whether through policy or prosecution, the president's ability to punish his political enemies should be sharply constrained.
Trump Floats Tax Break for Carmakers Hurt by His Own Trade Deal
After proposing a deduction for interest paid on car loans, the former president suggested it would apply only to vehicles made in America.
How To Avoid Paying Tariffs? Have a Friend in Washington.
A new report shows that politically connected companies were better able to navigate the exclusion process and avoid paying tariffs during the Trump administration.
Where Is Trump's Plan To Cut Spending?
The former president says the government should be funded like it was in 1890. So where's the plan to reset spending to 1890s levels?
Kamala Harris is a Far Lesser Evil than Donald Trump
Why I'm voting for Harris in the 2024 election.
Neither Trump Nor Harris Wants To Drain the Swamp. They Want You To Join It.
Both candidates have promised a litany of special favors to handpicked constituencies. If you don't fit into the right categories, you'll pay the price.
This Libertarian Republican Is Running for Congress in Nevada
Drew Johnson wants to help define the post-Trump GOP.
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris Keep Making Economically Illiterate Promises
These policies may sound good on paper—but they would be disastrous in reality.
Biden's Top Trade Official Just Admitted Tariffs Haven't Changed China's Behavior
Katherine Tai said tariffs were "leverage" against China, but now she admits that China hasn't made "any changes to its fundamental systemic structural policies."
Trump's Proposed Tariffs Would Add Nearly $250 to the Price of New Gaming Consoles
Similar price hikes would hit smartphones, laptops, tablets, and televisions.
Perils of Broad Presidential Power Over Tariffs
Donald Trump's plan for massive tariff increases is particularly dangerous because the White House could likely implement it without any new congressional authorization.
Could Trump Impose More Tariffs Without Congressional Approval?
Yes. But there might be one more key opportunity to rein in presidential powers over trade.
Trump's Destructive Tariff Proposals Will Make Us All Poorer
The candidate’s protectionism offsets some otherwise positive tax ideas.
I Did Business With China, and America Won
Everyone benefited when I manufactured my invention in China, but Americans benefited more.
J.D. Vance Is Wrong About Toasters—and Global Manufacturing
Trump's protectionist running mate comes out against “cheap, knockoff toasters” and common sense.
J.D. Vance Actually Does Understand How Costs Get Passed Along the Supply Chain
Vance says higher energy prices make building houses more costly. What, then, do tariffs on steel and lumber do?
How Much Would an American-Made Toaster Actually Cost?
A lot more than Oren Cass and J.D. Vance want you to think, and Americans wouldn't like the tradeoffs necessary.
Don't Expect a Return to the Trump Economy
If the former president wins the 2024 race, the circumstances he would inherit are far more challenging, and several of his policy ideas are destructive.
No, Trump-Style Tariffs Do Not Grow the Economy
The America of the past grew in spite of tariffs, not because of them.
How Much Will the Major Presidential Candidates Steal From You?
Neither Harris nor Trump has a plan to address national debt, but they dramatically differ on taxation.
Trump and Harris Both Favor Tax Hikes That Would Hurt Ordinary Americans
The costs of steep tariffs and a higher corporate income tax extend far beyond the advertised targets.
U.S. Officials Tried To Block Baby Formula Imports—During a Shortage
One official was concerned that lifting tariffs would lead to "lots of questions from domestic dairy producers."
J.D. Vance's Revisionist History
Plus: Brat summer revisited, Telegram CEO arrested, and more...
Trump and Harris' Economic Plans Are Depressingly Similar
Both campaigns represent variations on a theme of big, fiscally irresponsible, hyper-interventionist government.
Kamala Harris' 'Price Gouging' Ban: A New Idea That Has Failed for Thousands of Years
A half-baked idea that is just as dubious as Donald Trump's tariffs.
Why Libertarians Hate Kamala Harris' Economic Platform
Plus: Special guest Ben Dreyfuss joins the editors this week.
Americans' Support for Tariffs Plummets When They See Prices Rise
A new poll challenges the protectionist narrative currently dominating both sides of the political aisle.
Trade, Public Opinion, and Political Ignorance
A new Cato Institute/YouGov survey finds contradictory attitudes on trade policy, and widespread ignorance. The survey also suggests a potentially promising political strategy for free trade advocates.
Survey: 63 Percent of Americans Support Free Trade. Why Don't Our Politicians?
Seventy-five percent of respondents are concerned that tariffs will raise the cost of the things they buy, yet neither Trump nor Harris has suggested lowering them.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
Biden and Trump Are Pushing the Same Failed Trade Policies
Tariffs lead to trade wars, limit competition, and reduce innovation. But both Trump and Biden want more of them.
Trump Promises To Get Rid of Bad Regulations. Can He Deliver?
Growth of regulation slowed under former President Trump, but it still increased.
Republicans Hammer Biden on Inflation. But Do They Have a Better Plan?
Opening night of the Republican National Convention programmed a central issue with a Trumpian twist: "Make America Wealthy Again."
Both Trump and Biden Are Promising More Tariffs
Yes, trade tariffs cause higher prices. Trump never understood that, and now Biden apparently has forgotten it.
Vivek Ramaswamy Debuts 'National Libertarianism' at NatCon 4
"I don’t care to replace a left-wing nanny state with a right-wing nanny state," the onetime presidential hopeful said this week.
The 2024 GOP Platform Promises To 'Make America Affordable Again.' So Why Are They Embracing Fiscal Insanity?
Although former President Donald Trump's deregulatory agenda would make some positive changes, it's simply not enough.
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
Trump Blames Biden for Never Removing the Tariffs Trump Imposed
And you have to admit, he's got a point.
Trump Advisor Admits Trade War Against China Failed
In an interview, former National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien admitted that "the Chinese didn’t honor" the terms of the deal, years after it was clear.
Trump Said Tariffs Would Reduce the Trade Deficit. Instead, It Grew.
In 2017, the last full year before Trump's tariffs were imposed, America's overall trade deficit was $517 billion. By 2023, it had grown to $785 billion.
A Bonus Reason Roundtable. Live From Boston!
Plus: Who are the editors' favorite vice presidents of all time?
Inflation, the Economy, and Political Ignorance
Public ignorance has a big impact on voter atttudes on a major issue in the 2024 election.
American Manufacturers Need Tax and Regulatory Reform, Not Tariffs
Despite both presidential candidates touting protectionist trade policy, tariffs do little to address the underlying factors that make it difficult for U.S. manufacturers to compete in the global marketplace.
Trump's Proposed Tariffs Would Cost Families $1,700 Annually
"The scale of trade barriers proposed by candidate Trump is unprecedented."
Biden's Tariffs Are a Bad Idea
Bad for consumers, bad for American industry, bad for his administration's own environmental goals, and bad for an increasingly irrational executive branch.
Is Chinese Garlic a Threat to National Security?
Plus, an AI-generated recipe for garlic lovers' shrimp scampi
Marco Rubio Used To Know How Tariffs Work. What Happened?
The economics of tariffs have not changed in the past eight years. Marco Rubio has.
