Best Investment Treaty Lawyer on Trump’s tariff with dust stability: “In many respects, everyone is losing here”

The closest to the winners may be the countries that took Trump’s demands – and avoid more pain. But it is unclear whether anyone will be able to demand a long -term victory – even the United States, the intended beneficiary of Trump’s protectionist policies.

“In many respects, everyone is losing here,” said Barry Appleon, co -director of the International Law Center at the Faculty of Law in New York.

Six months after his return to the White House, Trump demolished the old global economic system. He went one based on agreed rules. In its place is a system in it Trump himself sets rulesUsing the tremendous economic power in America to punish countries that will not agree to commercial deals unilaterally and extract huge concessions from those that do.

“The biggest winner is Trump,” said Alan Wolf, a former US -commercial official and Vice -Director General of the World Trade Organization. “He is betting that he can transfer other countries to the table on the basis of threats, and he has succeeded – greatly.”

Everything returns to what Trump calls “Liberation Day” April 2 – When the president announced “mutual” taxes of up to 50 % on imports from countries in the United States, a commercial deficit and 10 % of the “basic line” taxes on almost everyone.

He called a 1977 Law To announce the trade deficit in a state of national emergency, it justifies the sweeping import taxes. This was allowed to bypass Congress, which was traditional with tax authority, including customs duties – All of this is now challenged in court.

The winners will continue to pay a higher tariff before Trump took office

Trump declined temporarily after the announcement of the liberation day, which led to the emergence of A. A defeat in the financial markets And stop the 90 -day mutual definitions to give countries an opportunity to negotiate.

Ultimately, some of them did, as he was moving to Trump’s demands to pay what it seemed four months ago had looked a highly unimaginable tariff for the privilege of continuing to sell in the vast American market.

the UK He agreed to 10 % of the customs tariff for its exports to the United States – an increase of 1.3 % before Trump raised his trade war with the world. The United States demanded concessions although it was running a trade surplus, not a deficit, with the United Kingdom for 19 consecutive years.

the European Union and Japan We accepted the American definitions by 15 %. These are much higher than the low rates of one number they paid last year-but less than the definitions it threatened (30 % on the European Union and 25 % in Japan).

also Cut the deals with Trump and agree to the huge definitions Pakistan, South Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines were.

Even countries that witnessed the decrease in definitions in April without reaching a deal that still pays a much higher tariff before Trump took office. Angola tariff, for example, fell to 15 % of 32 % in April, but in 2022 it was less than 1.5 %. Although the Trump administration reduced the Taiwan tariff to 20 % from 32 % in April, the pain will remain perceived.

“20 % of the beginning was not our goal, we hope that we will get more negotiations in interest, more beneficial and more rational,” Taiwan President Lay Cheng Tim told reporters in Taipei on Friday.

Trump also agreed to reduce the customs tariff in the small South African Kingdom of Lesoto to 15 % of 50 % announced in April, however The damage may have already occurred.

Promise Brazil, Clobbering Canada, Swiss jumped

The countries that did not agree with – and those that found other ways to bear Trump’s anger – have become more difficult.

Even some of the poorest countries spared. LaOS’s annual economic product is $ 2100 per person and $ 5,600 per Algeria – for $ 75,000. However, Laos shook with a 40 % tariff and Algeria with 30 % tax.

Trump criticized Brazil with 50 % import tax To a large extent, he did not like the way he was treating the previous one Brazilian President Gere BolsonaroHe is facing a trial for his attempt to lose his election defeat in 2022. It does not care that the United States has become more to Brazil than it has been importing every year since 2007.

Trump’s decision on a 35 % tariff for a long time The United States is an ally of Canada It was partially designed to threaten Ottawa because he would do so Learn about a Palestinian state. Trump is a strong supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Switzerland was intertwined with an import tax of 39 % – Even higher than 31 % of Trump was originally announced on April 2.

“The Swiss people may want to have been overwhelmed in Washington” to conclude a deal. “” It is clear that they are not happy at all. ”

Wealth may change if Trump’s tariff is raised in court. Five American companies and 12 states sue the president, on the pretext that the Tahrir Day tariff exceeded its authority under the 1977 law.

In May, and American International Trade CourtAnd a specialized court in New York, which has approved and banned definitions, despite allowing the government to continue its collection during its appeal through the legal system, and it may end up in the US Supreme Court. In a session on Thursday, the judges in the American Court of Appeal of the Federal Department It seemed skeptical about Trump’s justifications for the definitions.

Appleon said: “If the tariff is exposed, then the Brazil winner may not be the loser.”

Pay more for Knapsacks and video games

Trump depicts his definition as a tax on foreign countries. But it is actually paid by import companies in the United States, which is trying to transfer the cost of its customers through higher prices. It is true that the customs tariff can harm other countries by forcing exporters to reduce prices and sacrifice profits – or risk losing their market share in the United States.

But the economists of Goldman Sachs estimate that exporters abroad have absorbed the increasing costs of the definitions, while Americans and American companies have picked up most of the tab.

Wal Martand Procter & GambleFord, Best purchaseand Adidasand Nikeand Mattel And Stanley Black & Decker, they have all the prices due to American definitions

“This is a consumption tax,” Appleon said. “Sports shoes, sneakers, your devices will rise. The TV and electronics will rise.

The Tramp war has prompted the average American tariff from 2.5 % at the beginning of 2025 to 18.3 % now, which is the highest level since 1934, according to the budget laboratory at Yale University. This will impose a cost of $ 2,400 on the medium family, and the laboratory estimate.

“The American consumer is the great loser,” said Wolf.

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Christopher Roger, AP Economics, contributed to this story.