Rambling Rows https://rrows.net/uploads/2026/rrows-icon-sq-144px.png https://rrows.net/ https://rrows.net/categories/trade-policy/ en Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:20:30 +1000 https://rrows.net/2026/07/22/worth-reading-why-trumps-tariff.html?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=rrows Wed, 22 Jul 2026 13:20:30 +1000 http://rrows.micro.blog/2026/07/22/worth-reading-why-trumps-tariff.html <p>Trump just hit Canada with an extra 50% tariff, and the detail that matters isn&rsquo;t the number. It&rsquo;s that these tariffs apply even to goods fully compliant with USMCA, the very trade deal Trump renegotiated and signed himself. The escape hatch that shielded most Canadian trade through 2025 just got welded shut.</p> <p>Justin Wolfers, the Australian-American economist behind <strong>Platypus Economics</strong>, walks through how the White House got there: a 1930 statute barely used since Herbert Hoover was president, deployed to justify a 50% duty on everything from wine to hockey sticks, tied to disputes that have nothing to do with the goods actually being taxed.</p> <p>It&rsquo;s a quick read and it lays out, better than most takes going around, exactly why this one is different from the usual tariff noise.</p> <p><a href="https://newsletter.platypuseconomics.com/p/why-trumps-new-tariff-is-bigger-than">Why Trump&rsquo;s New Tariff Is Bigger Than Canada</a> - Justin Wolfers, Platypus Economics, July 2026</p> <p><strong>The bottom line:</strong> the USA is Trump writ large. Just like his dodgy business dealings, you cannot expect fair, consistent or ethical deals from this administration, and you cannot rely on anything it says or commits to. Agreements get abandoned or ignored the moment they&rsquo;re inconvenient, USMCA included, and the White House fact sheet even points out that only China and Canada chose retaliation over negotiation. Trust is an essential element of good governance and international diplomacy. Destroy that and what are you left with?</p>