Former President Trump offered a new strategy for world peace during a rally in North Carolina last month: massive tariffs on countries that start wars. But pressuring countries with tariffs, a tax on imported goods, is unlikely to work, experts say. And historically, tariffs have a blowback for the U.S. economy.

“The cost to the private sector is quite high,” says Kristen Patel, professor of practice of policy studies and Donald P. and Margaret Curry Gregg Professor of Practice in Korean and East Asian Affairs. “Former President Trump has not coherently explained how tariffs would benefit us, companies and consumers.” 

“This case is economic machismo…‘I’m going to slap the sanction of tariff on you, and it’s going to force you to do what I want you to do,’’ she adds. “And it’s not clear how tariffs would actually change China or any other country’s behavior.” 

Daniel McDowell, professor of political science and Maxwell Advisory Board Professor of International Affairs, says Trump wrongly believes tariffs are a “one size fits all foreign policy tool that you can use for all kinds of problems.” 

“The idea of using tariffs to deter countries from invading other countries, it’s pretty out there,” he says, adding that a Trump maximum tariff policy could transform the international market, potentially increasing the price of goods if the U.S. must source from other countries. In the case of China, it would have the largest impact, he says. 

Read more in The Hill article, “Trump says more tariffs will stop wars. Experts disagree.”