Since President Trump has returned to office, the United States and Canada have repeatedly come close to an all-out trade war — only for Mr. Trump to dial back some of his harshest attacks against one of America’s closest allies.
But that period of relative calm came to an end on Saturday, as new 50% tariffs from Washington took effect, drawing a pointed threat from Canada to respond in kind. The resulting clash left the two North American neighbours barrelling toward a dangerous tit-for-tat escalation, one that may yet inflict real harm on the U.S. economy.
For Mr. Trump, the return to trade brinkmanship reaffirmed a time-old truth: His tariffs are taxes on imports, meaning some of the cost of his latest duties may ultimately fall hardest on U.S. importers stung by years of persistently high prices, reports Tony Romm of the New York Times.
“The bigger deal is uncertainty,” said Scott Lincicome, the vice president of general economics at the Cato Institute.