The administration has also placed tariffs on “intermediate goods,” so that efforts to create jobs in one sector can mean higher costs and fewer jobs in another. And trading partners have been savvy about using retaliatory tariffs to punish Mr. Trump’s base, most notably on American farm products. Combine those factors, and the trade war so far has offered more pain than it has a clear pathway to better deals for American companies and workers. But how that will play if the trade war with China causes more evident economic pain? The first round of tariffs against China was limited to goods purchased mainly by businesses.

Source: International New York Times June 08, 2019 09:00 UTC