Allies of President Trump frequently characterize him as a 40-year tariff acolyte who is finally able to implement his long-held economic theory after being thwarted by his first-term aides.
Although he occasionally mentioned tariffs prior to running for president, Mr. Trump often expressed his larger gripe with trade in terms of other nations or businesses taking advantage of the United States. Mr. Trump has been discussing tariffs seriously since he entered the race in 2015, characterizing them as a tool he could use with ease to rebalance the nation’s economic position.
Mr. Trump stated in August 2024 that he would impose sweeping tariffs if he won, far more than those he had in his first term. He said, “We are going to have 10 percent to 20 percent tariffs on foreign countries that have been ripping us off for years, we are going to charge them 10 percent to 20 percent to come in and take advantage of our country because that is what they have been doing.”
This week’s retreat by Mr. Trump from his own self-imposed tariff deadlines highlights the difficulty he has had in using tariffs as a short-term solution that he claims will quickly restore trade ties and generate significant revenue for the nation.
Examining Mr. Trump’s remarks on tariffs throughout the years reveals that he has frequently been very evasive on the subject and has only recently come to characterize them as the mainstay of his trade strategy.
Mr. Trump’s constant insistence that other nations are making the United States their suckers has been far more persistent and frequent. He frequently mentioned tariffs when describing the sense of national harm that spread as the nation’s manufacturing base started to decline. Even in the absence of a coherent policy agenda, this focus on trade as a problem contributed to Mr. Trump’s victory in 2016.
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