UK economist warns Trump is ‘weaponising tariffs’ as president sparks trade war

WorldPolitics
11 Feb 2025 • 4:28 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

The world’s most free-thinking newspaper

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President Donald Trump is "weaponising" tariffs, a UK economist has warned.

The president signed two executive orders imposing a 25 per cent tariff on steel and aluminum imports on Monday (10 February), regardless of origin, escalating the ongoing trade war.

Stephanie Rickard, Professor of Political Science at the London School of Economics, told the BBC that the rising uncertainty around trade deals is making business more challenging.

“It's destructive in the sense that it's generating uncertainty,” she said, during an interview on Tuesday.

“We no longer know if the US trade agreements that they've signed and they've complied with in the past will continue to rule the game when it comes to trade.”

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