One of Wall Street’s top critics of President Donald Trump’s tariff blitz has now admitted the president’s unpredictable trade policy may be more calculated than chaotic, asking out loud in a new blog: “Is Trump a genius?”
Torsten Sløk, chief economist at Apollo Global Management and a consistent skeptic of the tariffs since it was announced, posted a striking about-face in his latest market note, conceding: “Maybe the administration has outsmarted all of us.”
Just months ago, Sløk warned that Trump’s escalating import duties, 10% on most goods and 30% on Chinese products, would be “certainly painful” and risked destabilizing U.S. markets. Now, with Trump’s 90-day tariff pause set to expire on July 9, Sløk is pitching a very different view: The tariffs could be a masterstroke, forcing global partners to the table while generating billions for the Treasury.
https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/...ne-on-tariffs/
Has Trump Outsmarted Everyone on Tariffs?
As we approach the Trump administration’s self-imposed 90-day deadline for trade deals, markets are starting to speculate about what comes next. The longer uncertainty remains elevated, the more negative its impact on the economy, as shown in the chart below.
Maybe the strategy is to maintain 30% tariffs on China and 10% tariffs on all other countries and then give all countries 12 months to lower non-tariff barriers and open up their economies to trade.
Extending the deadline one year would give countries and US domestic businesses time to adjust to the new world with permanently higher tariffs, and it would also result in an immediate decline in uncertainty, which would be positive for business planning, employment, and financial markets.
This would seem like a victory for the world and yet would produce $400 billion of annual revenue for US taxpayers. Trade partners will be happy with only 10% tariffs and US tax revenue will go up. Maybe the administration has outsmarted all of us.
https://www.apolloacademy.com/is-trump-a-genius/