On Trade, Trump Is Who He Claims to Be
The president is not a free trader.
Free Trade
Donald Trump's Supreme Court Pick Will Shred the Constitution! Or Save It!: Podcast
Trump freaks out Democrats with second SCOTUS pick; the Libertarian Party comes of age; how Steve Ditko created the modern action movie
Trump Voters Stand by Their Man as He Wrecks Their Jobs
In Poplar Bluff, Missouri, support for Trump's tariffs is about tribalism more than anything else. That's dangerous and scary.
Trump's Trade War Targets Second-Most-American Pie Filling
Cherry growers get hit with steep tariffs right in the middle of their harvest season.
Fed Officials Will Continue Interest Rate Hikes in Face of Booming Economy
Minutes from the Fed's June meeting indicate that it will continue gradual interest rate hikes.
Trump's Attack on Fleeing American Companies Is the Flip Side of His Attack on Incoming Foreigners
It makes sense if you think the government's job is to protect U.S. jobs
Trump's Case for Tariffs Is Unraveling
Automakers, motorcycle manufacturers, the stock market, and even the White House's own analyses are telling Trump to change course.
Utah Metalworking Company Cancels Expansion Plans Because Tariffs
The unseen costs of the Trump administration's bellicose trade policy matter too.
Trump's Incendiary Trade Rhetoric Won't Help Mexico's Political Mess
The president's trade policy makes as much sense as Canadian Bacon, the farcical 1995 film about a trumped up war against Canada.
Why Are Americans Adopting Fewer Foreign Children?
Global prosperity and government bureaucracy both play a role.
Telling the Truth on Trade With China
More government control over the U.S. economy will make the U.S. more like China.
As Markets Tank and Opposition to Tariffs Grow, Trump Stays the Course. Where is Congress?
"It's all working out great," Trump said in South Carolina. Few people seem to agree with that assessment.
Jack Daniel's Says It Will Raise Whiskey Prices in Europe Due to E.U. Tariffs
The E.U. retaliated against Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs. Now, whiskey drinkers will pay the price.
Easy to Win? Trump's Trade War Requires Handing More Power to Unelected Bureaucrats
One government intervention into the economy begets another, and American businesses are caught in the chaos. Good and easy to win? Not so much.
Harley-Davidson Will Shift Manufacturing Overseas To Avoid Tariffs
It can do that because it's a global brand, but other businesses aren't as lucky. And workers everywhere stand to lose.
Echoes of Reagan in Trump's Clashes With Allies
Take a look at what The New York Times and others were saying about The Gipper in 1982 before you judge The Trumpster in 2018.
Iowa Farmers Could Lose $620 Million From U.S.-China Trade War
Commodities are falling across the board, but soybean farmers are taking the brunt. What's happening in Iowa is the perfect demonstration of why trade works.
As Evidence of Higher Prices Mounts, Trump Announces Yet More New Tariffs
Prices for steel, washing machines, and lumber spiked after Trump imposed tariffs on them. This time it will be different, right?
Trump's Totally Free Trade Idea Is Really Smart
It's a damned shame that he doesn't seem to really believe in it.
Surviving the Death of the West: Podcast
Trump disrupts the status quo on trade, diplomacy, North Korea, and pot.
Trump May Have Sabotaged His Tariff Plans With Anti-Canada Tweets
Slapping tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada is not a matter of national security, the president admits.
Flake: 'This Is Not Grown-Up Leadership.' Trump: Flake's a 'Flake.'
The outgoing senator wants to require congressional approval for "national security" tariffs, while the low-polling president taunts Flake about his low poll numbers.
The Republicans Abandon Free Trade
The GOP betrays its principles for the sake of political expediency.
As Canada, Mexico, and the E.U. Respond to Trump's Tariffs, Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Justin Trudeau and others condemn Trump's protectionist tactics, then respond with protectionism of their own.
'National Security' a Lousy Excuse for Lousy Trade and Energy Policies
Extending the justification would allow government intervention into just about anything.
Meet the New Boss: Donald Trump, Who Wants To Tell You What You Can Buy and Sell
Via trade and immigration restrictions, the president is completing the GOP's conversion to the party of economic micro-management.
Reason Totally Called the Masterpiece Cakeshop Case: Podcast
After oral arguments last year, Stephanie Slade correctly observed that "justices might have found a sort of get-out-of-jail-free card." Also on the Reason Podcast: Bill Clinton, Roseanne, Samantha Bee, Kim Kardashian, and maybe the worst celebrity of the week, Larry Kudlow.
Under Trump, Republicans Become the Party of 'You Didn't Build That'
Trump's trade policies are supported by a majority of GOP voters, who used to oppose this sort of corporate welfare under Obama. Partisanship rules all.
How Trump's Tariffs Will Harm National Security
Imports improve the economy and benefit the country.
Today Is the Start of Hurricane Season. Trump's Tariffs Could Make It More Costly.
Everything from preparations through recovery will be more expensive, thanks to tariffs on steel, aluminum, and timber.
Trump Is Standing on the Precipice of a Real and Serious Trade War
The trade war that seemed improbable for weeks is now slipping closer to inevitable. The first major deadline comes at midnight.
Trump Wants to Have it Both Ways on Trade. He Can't.
Tariffs and import restrictions are the equivalent of putting sanctions on your own country.
Trump Will Hit Americans With Import Taxes on $50 Billion in Chinese Goods
Don't believe the administration's claim that this will hurt China.
Trump's Ignorant Trade War
The president should stop worrying about the trade deficit and learn to love free trade.
Are Imported Cars a Threat to National Security? No Way.
Trump can impose car tariffs only by stretching the meaning of "national security" beyond recognition.
Tariffs Aren't Saving Steel Towns
And it's cruel to tell people that government policy can reverse the decline.
Mnuchin: 'We're Putting the Trade War on Hold'
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin says Trump administration is withdrawing plan to impose 25 percent tariffs on $150 billion of Chinese imports.
Trade Hearing Highlights Staggering Number of Losers From Trump's Tariff Plan
Trump wants tariffs on 1,300 Chinese-made goods. Dozens of American businessmen and women are in Washington this week to explain why that's an awful idea.
Trump, Reagan, and Why Republicans Flip-Flopped on Free Trade
The Donald is more like The Gipper on trade policy than you think. And not in a good way.
K Street Lobbyists Are Loving Trump's Tariff Threats
The president's aggressive but rudderless trade policy is watering the swamp.
Hey Trump! The 1930s Called, They Want Their Trade Policy Back.
More than 1,000 economists (including Nobel Prize winners) have penned an open letter to the White House, warning not to repeat mistakes of the past.
The Good and the Bad of Trump's Decision to Delay Some Tariffs
Trump talks about wanting to reduce our trade deficit with China, but using tariffs to do it might jeopardize America's trade surplus in agriculture.
Is Alex Tabarrok the Most Honest Economist in Academia?: Podcast
The libertarian went looking for the reason for entrepreneurial decline. The answer he found went against everything he believed. He published the results anyway.
Tariffs Are Self-Imposed Sanctions
We restrict trade to punish our enemies. Why would we do the same to ourselves?
Trump's Economic Illiteracy Has Deep Roots
In Trump's mind, America loses when it buys too much. And it loses when we sell too.
The Economic Case for Free Trade Is Stronger Than Ever
But working-class identity politics threaten to ruin everything.
