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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent at the White House on Wednesday.Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times
Trump’s team defended tariffs in the face of anger President Trump’s top aides yesterday appeared on various media outlets to defend his global tariffs that went into effect over the weekend. Some said that they had already heard from foreign nations that are seeking to strike a deal. His top economic advisers dismissed the turmoil in financial markets around the world, insisting that the trade war would ultimately improve America’s economic fortunes.
Like Brexit, Trump’s tariffs struck a hammer blow at the established order, Mark Landler, our London bureau chief, writes in an analysis. But the U.S.’s position as the fulcrum of global commerce means that Trump’s move is having a much wider effect. Also like Brexit, the ultimate ramifications are unsettled: Trump could yet reverse himself. And the E.U., optimists point out, did not unravel after Britain’s departure.
But more significantly, economists said that free trade’s rise may be irreversible, and its benefits so powerful that the rest of the world could find a way to keep the system going, even without its star player.
What’s next: The tariffs were much higher than expected and plunged corporate America into chaos. We asked economists, investment researchers and other experts to help make sense of what lies ahead. Wall Street, still reeling from last week’s fallout, is bracing for more chaos.
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Aid workers last Monday carrying the bodies of rescue workers killed in Gaza.Credit...Eyad Baba/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
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