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Why Trump's trade assault will fail and keep going: podcast

Why Trump's trade assault will fail and keep going: podcast

Reuters7 hours ago
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US trade partners are bracing for another presidential tariff deadline. In this episode of The Big View podcast, Richard Baldwin of IMD Business School explains why hostility to US imports is now a bipartisan issue, and why the global trading system can survive Trump's onslaught.
Follow Peter Thal Larsen on Bluesky and LinkedIn.
(The host is a Reuters Breakingviews columnist. The opinions expressed are his own.)
FURTHER READING
E-book – The Great Trade Hack: How Trump's Trade War Fails and the World Moves on
Muddled US meddling grinds factory gears
The EU can play it cool with Trump's trade threats
Ducking tariffs is only half of US firms' battle
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