Copper Tariffs Would Short-Circuit An Already Challenging U.S. Electrification Build-Out
(Originally published at Forbes .) Whether the goal is to get Germany to fund its NATO obligations, convince Mexico to crack down on drug traffickers, tout the benefits of U.S. statehood to Canada, or compel Colombia to receive U.S. deportees, President Trump’s international overtures are often infused with tariff threats. Trump’s first term record makes those threats credible, despite the collateral damage his tariffs inflicted upon U.S. manufacturers and farmers. But the administration must not allow tactical use of tariffs to subvert its long-term U.S. economic security objectives, including the imperative of building out and ramping up U.S. electrification infrastructure to meet the demands of our emerging, power-intensive, 21 st century industries. The outcomes President Trump seeks by threatening tariffs differ by country, but common to most cases is his desire for foreign investment in the U.S. economy. In a remote speech broadcast to the World Economic Forum in Switzerl...