Less than a month into his second term, U.S. President Donald Trump has already threatened to impose tariffs on half a dozen allies and adversaries. This week, he announced incoming universal tariffs on steel and aluminum, along with reciprocal tariffs on a range of foreign imports at ‘different levels’.

But when and why did Trump decide that tariffs would be the centrepiece of his plan in redefining America’s role in the global trading system?

Mark Rendell is the Globe’s Economics Reporter. He’ll explain how Trump is using tariffs, its role in achieving his administration’s vision for U.S. trade, and whether all of this... could actually backfire.

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