President Trump is threatening to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum from Brazil and Argentina again. As we all know, and Trump doesn’t, tariffs are a bad idea. But what makes it worse here is that U.S. tariffs on the import of steel are the actual poster child for how bad the idea is. We’ve done this in modern times and found out that it’s a howlingly bad idea.

Perhaps having Robert Lighthizer, whose private legal career tended to be arguing in favor of steel import tariffs, as the U.S. trade representative wasn’t all that good an idea then?

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