Is the US president using tariffs as a political weapon?

US President Donald Trump likes to call himself a ‘Tariff Man’.

The president of the United States has imposed import duties to address trade imbalances with China, Canada, Europe and others.

Now he’s threatening tariffs on Mexico, one of America’s biggest trading partners.

Trump says he will impose levies on Mexican goods if it doesn’t stop undocumented people from entering the US.

Meanwhile, China says the US is solely to blame for their trade war over the past year, which has seen both countries impose tariffs on imports.

So is Donald Trump using trade levies as a political weapon?

And what’s the impact on diplomacy?

Presenter: Hashem Ahelbarra

Guests:

Robert Scott – Senior international economist at the Economic Policy Institute

Scott Lucas – Professor at the University of Birmingham, and founder and editor of EA World View, a news analysis website on US and international politics

Ross Feingold – Attorney and Republican political consultant