Editorial: Trump’s tariff pause presents an opportunity

Donald Trump s ever-evolving transaction approach veered in another direction on Wednesday when the president released he was pausing certain tariffs on countless countries but not China for days Financial markets which have cratered since Trump imposed his duties on U S trading partners last week bolted upward The Dow jumped nearly points The initial region response speaks for itself Daniel Skelly of Morgan Stanley informed The New York Times but for now this is just a step in the right direction The president s actions appear to be a response to the industry bloodbath a discomfiting evolution for countless Trump supporters who depend on union pension funds or k retirement accounts Trump admitted that people were getting a little queasy as investors began dumping U S leadership bonds an atypical occurrence The Washington Post revealed But the markets took immediate notice when Trump posted on Truth Social on Wednesday morning More than Countries have called to negotiate a resolution and have not at my strong suggestion retaliated in any way shape or form As a consequence I have authorized a day PAUSE and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period of also effective straightaway It remains to be seen whether the administration is completely delaying any likely economic shock or whether Trump and his crew use the next three months to aggressively negotiate pact deals with the dozens of nations that the White House insists are eager to come to the table The latter would be the smartest subject calming jittery investors and giving U S companies more certainty over how to plan for the months and years ahead Trump should also consider a proposal offered by economists Arthur Laffer and Stephen Moore in The Wall Street Journal Call the bluff of Western nations that protect a multitude of of their own producers but expect virtually unfettered access to the American sphere Trump should give a globally televised address announcing to the world that the U S is ready to drop its tariffs and industry subsidies to zero the next day on any nation that does the same the men wrote in a Tuesday op-ed for the Journal This would be the ultimate reciprocal tariff framework President Trump and the U S would regain the moral high ground in business disputes It would be enlightening to see which supposedly free exchange nations accept Trump s challenge Trump took a prudent step on Wednesday He and advisers should now come to terms with willing nations on exchange deals or they threat a repeat of serious economic disruption three months down the road Las Vegas Review-Journal Tribune News Facility Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn Creators Syndicate