Trump’s tariff ‘Plan B’ has arrived

Published August 5, 2026 6:00am ET | Updated August 5, 2026 8:02am ET



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The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930 did not generate much revenue for the federal government or succeed at protecting American producers from foreign competition. Instead, it sank the United States deeper into the Great Depression and has long been effectively superseded by legislation that shifted the focus of trade policymaking into international agreements.

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