Can Trump use tariffs for different and conflicting goals?

Published March 20, 2025 8:00am ET



President Donald Trump plans to use tariffs in the coming days to pursue a range of disparate and sometimes conflicting goals, from pressuring neighboring countries on immigration and boosting domestic manufacturing to penalizing trade partners for their own tariffs. 

Critics, including longtime free-market economists and trade experts, have criticized Trump’s tariff plans as incoherent and economically damaging. 

Trusted reporting.Unlimited access.

Subscribe for full access to Washington Examiner coverage, expert political analysis, and subscriber-only journalism.

Get Unlimited Access

Already a member? Log in

Cancel anytime.