In this wide-ranging conversation, Capitol Forum Executive Editor Teddy Downey sits down with Beth Baltzan — former Counselor to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai — and Capitol Forum Trade Correspondent Neil Tracey to unpack the latest wave of Trump tariff threats.
We cover:
- Why Trump is targeting an unusual mix of countries
- How rare earths give China lasting leverage
- Whether USMCA will actually be exempted
- The growing influence of Big Tech on trade policy
- Section 301 vs. Section 232: What tools Trump is using — and why
- How global trust in the U.S. rule of law is eroding
- What’s missing from a purely tariff-based industrial strategy
- Why the global trading order may never be the same
