What to Expect From Trump’s Trade Policy

President Donald Trump has followed through on his promises to impose new tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China in a stated effort to combat illegal immigration and the drug trade. Though Mr. Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Canada have agreed to a delay as they engage in negotiations, tariffs on China have taken effect. In parallel, new U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently visited Panama to discuss President Trump’s concerns surrounding the security of the Panama Canal and transit fees for U.S. vessels. Mr. Trump has further implied that the United States could impose new tariffs on imports from European Union member countries.

The Trump administration’s first weeks in office have demonstrated clearly that trade will be a priority—but what are the president’s goals? How likely is he to achieve them? And are there other goals or approaches that the administration could usefully consider?

On February 12, the Center for the National Interest hosted an expert panel to discuss these questions and more.

—Elaine K. Dezenski is Senior Director and Head of the Center on Economic and Financial Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. She has served as acting assistant secretary for policy and director of cargo and trade policy at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in addition to senior posts at INTERPOL and in the private sector. In 2020-2021, she was a member of the Chairman’s Council on China Competition at the Export-Import Bank of the United States. Earlier, Ms. Dezenski was a senior director at the World Economic Forum.

—Manisha Singh is founder and principal of Sunstone Strategy Group and serves on the Board of Trustees of the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. She was Assistant Secretary of State for Economic and Business Affairs during the first Trump administration and, in that capacity, served for a time as Acting Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment. Earlier, she was Deputy Chief Council and Senior Professional Staff at the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. This followed practicing law at Reed Smith and Squire Sanders Dempsey.

Paul Saunders, president of the Center for the National Interest, moderated the discussion.