When the White House finally released the text of Mr Trump’s commands on Thursday night, it appeared that some of the invoices covered by the US-Mexico-Canadian trade agreement that Mr Trump negotiated and celebrated in his first term. Other invoices simply stopped.
Most of all involved were confusing, which might have been the point.
As Trump delivers the tariffs and then pulls them back for about a month, the world’s leaders call on to beg their case, a little as subordinate states addressed to greater power. The heads also made calls, making it clear that Mr Trump is the one to face if you bring car parts from Canada or china.
And the president replies, as if he is giving reprieves, though not grace. If, in an ordinary presidency, invoices are discussed by mattresses of experts and assistants, their possible impact weighed carefully, in the White House of Trump, the determinations are part of the weaving, part of the weaving, part of the pique. Explanations of what caused the imposition of shifted invoices and decisions to delay or suspend them are not accompanied by detailed rationales. Mr Trump himself says he makes the call based on his latest conversations.
“This was a short -term deal,” he told reporters at the Oval Office on Thursday afternoon, when he was asked about his calls the previous day with top US car manufacturers executives. “They returned to me yesterday. They said,” We could have some help in invoices because of speed? ” And I said, “Look, I will do it.
He added: “I don’t want to hear you after April 2.”
Whether it will keep firm is again an open question. It may depend on markets or if more industry statements come as the target’s chief executive, Brian Cornell, made this week before the last honorary shift. The leader of the retail chain said that customers looking for avocado and lettuce and other staples “will probably see price increases in the next two days”.
