The David Frum Show Trump’s Tariff Disaster
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Jul 30, 2025 
In this discussion, Doug Irwin, a trade historian from Dartmouth and author of 'Clashing Over Commerce', reveals how protectionist policies often backfire. He explains the unintended economic consequences of Trump's tariffs, which disproportionately affect lower-income citizens and harm trade relationships. Irwin also delves into the historical shifts in U.S. trade policy, emphasizing the dangers of abandoning the bipartisan free-trade consensus and the complexities of modern trade that challenge outdated views on tariffs and trade deficits.
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Tariffs Harm Manufacturing Competitiveness
- Tariffs raise input costs, harming U.S. manufacturing competitiveness globally.
- Increased prices hurt exporters and shrink U.S. manufacturing exports.
Retaliation Shrinks U.S. Exports
- Tariffs trigger foreign retaliation, shrinking U.S. export markets.
- The U.S. lost soybean export dominance due to Chinese tariff retaliation.
Tariffs Tax the Poorest Americans
- Tariffs are regressive taxes falling hardest on those least able to pay.
- Wealthy Americans avoid tariffs by spending on non-tradable services unaffected by tariffs.
