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Although tariffs haven\u2019t been in vogue since the 19th century, Donald Trump has seen them as a solution for what he perceives to be an unfair global trading system since at least the 1980s<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2025, Trump, now U.S. president, turned to import duties as a cure-all. But in many ways, the cure turned out to be worse than the disease. As a result of the uncertainty and chaos Trump\u2019s tariffs engendered, the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter of this year. And while companies have so far mostly absorbed the levies\u2019 costs, consumers are beginning to pick up the tab.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Although tariffs haven\u2019t been in vogue since the 19th century, Donald Trump has seen them as a solution for what he perceives to be an unfair global trading system since at least the 1980s<\/a>.<\/p>\n In 2025, Trump, now U.S. president, turned to import duties as a cure-all. But in many ways, the cure turned out to be worse than the disease. As a result of the uncertainty and chaos Trump\u2019s tariffs engendered, the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter of this year. And while companies have so far mostly absorbed the levies\u2019 costs, consumers are beginning to pick up the tab.<\/p>\n If Americans are confused about why their hamburgers are more expensive (ground beef prices are up 14.2 percent<\/a> from a year ago), the rest of the world is even more bewildered by how Trump has upended the trade order. In April, when Trump announced steep tariffs on nearly all U.S. trading partners, administration officials promised<\/a> \u201c90 deals in 90 days.\u201d That deadline has been extended, but deals are still few and far between<\/a>. The agreements that have been struck vary in permanence and formality.<\/p>\n The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to rule soon in Learning Resources v. Trump, the case that will determine whether the tariffs Trump imposed pass statutory and constitutional muster. In the meantime, FP\u2019s Keith Johnson writes<\/a> that the so-called Liberation Day tariffs have created \u201ca new reality for a country, and a planet, whose post-World War II prosperity was ushered in by a decades-long effort to dismantle barriers to trade.\u201d<\/p>\n Here are five of our best reads on how Trump\u2019s tariffs have shaped geopolitics this year.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By Elisabeth Braw, May 15<\/em><\/p>\n Shipping is, by definition, at the forefront of global trade. So, FP\u2019s Elisabeth Braw wrote in May, it was also the first industry to feel the pain of Trump\u2019s tariffs.<\/p>\n But \u201cas is their wont, shipping lines have adapted their journeys and procedures,\u201d Braw writes\u2014and the long-term harm caused by shipping turbulence may instead hit land. She predicts looming job losses, starting with dockworkers.<\/p>\n By Scott Kennedy, April 10<\/em><\/p>\n Although he wrote this piece just a week after Trump\u2019s April tariff announcement, the Center of Strategic and International Studies\u2019 Scott Kennedy proved prescient in his analysis of how China would respond to U.S. duties.<\/p>\n \u201c[Trump\u2019s] escalation, brinksmanship, and volatility will likely be a monumental waste of time,\u201d Kennedy writes, given China\u2019s relative advantages in a trade war. \u201cThe real contest for systemic competition, at least for now, is over,\u201d he adds\u2014pointing to a more positive recent reappraisal by Chinese and international audiences about the resilience and strengths of the Chinese economic system compared to its U.S. counterpart.<\/p>\n By Keith Johnson, Aug. 1<\/em><\/p>\n As promised, Trump delivered his deferred tariffs on Aug. 1, with punitive import taxes on nearly every good from countries around the world. \u201cThe issue,\u201d FP\u2019s Johnson writes, \u201cis Trump\u2019s continued misdiagnosis of both the problem and the solution.\u201d<\/p>\n In this report, Johnson explains how the tariffs spell bad news for U.S. growth, inflation, and unemployment\u2014and why experts think import duties will stick around even after Trump leaves office.<\/p>\n By Graham Allison, Oct. 6<\/em><\/p>\n
\n1. Trump\u2019s Shifting Tariffs Are Disrupting Global Shipping<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n2. Why Beijing Thinks It Can Beat Trump<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n3. Trump\u2019s Long-Promised Tariffs Upend Global Trade<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n
\n4. Who Holds the High Cards in Sino-American Supply Chain Poker?<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n