Middleboro Review et al

Trump triangulates on trade. Here are five takeaways from the tariff announcement. Trump announces tariffs on steel and aluminum BY JAMES HOHMANN with Breanne Deppisch and Joanie Greve THE BIG IDEA: President Trump campaigned like a populist but has mostly governed like a plutocrat. On trade, he’s decided to follow his populist id. Trump has few core convictions. He has been all over the place on almost every issue. Trade is the biggest exception. The president has consistently agitated for protectionism since the 1970s, and it was a signature theme of his insurgent candidacy. On Thursday, he followed through on his campaign rhetoric by  announcing  that he plans to slap tariffs of 25 percent on foreign-made steel and 10 percent on aluminum. “You will have protection for the first time in a long while, and you’re going to regrow your industries,” Trump told steel executives at a White House meeting. “What’s been allowed to go on for decades is disgraceful.”