The WashingTon PosT

A risky trade game President Trump escalated his trade conflict with China, threatening the People’s Republic with tariffs on $450 billion in products that it sells to the United States. The proximate cause was China’s threat to match US tariffs on $50 billion in goods that are slated to go into effect on July 6. In the US, every conceivable industry and interest group that gets hurt by Chinese and other retaliation will be putting pressure on the administration, demanding relief. Trump owns this trade war, at home and abroad. He not only has decided to play a game of chicken with the U.S. economy. He has decided to play against the whole world.