From the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal, this is Potomac Watch.

President Trump announces that he plans to unpause Liberation Day-style tariffs,

including 25% taxes on Japan and South Korea,

to U.S. allies that make up nearly a tenth of total U.S. imports.

What is the likely economic damage? And will the president follow through this time to prove

that Trump doesn't always chicken out? Welcome, I'm Kyle Peterson with the Wall Street Journal.

We are joined today by my colleagues, columnists Mary Anastasia O'Grady, and Alicia Finley.

President Trump's 90-day pause of his massive Liberation Day tariffs is now expiring,

and on Monday the White House began firing off a series of letters to foreign leaders explaining how he plans to proceed.

Here's a piece of the letter he sent to the Prime Minister of Japan. It says we have had years to discuss our trading relationship with

Japan and have concluded that we must move away from these long-term and very persistent trade deficits

engendered by Japan's tariff and non-tariff policies and trade barriers.

Keith goes on to say that there will be a 25% tariff on any and all Japanese products sent

into the United States beginning on August 1st. Here is President Trump addressing these tariffs

at a dinner on Monday night. All I say to the other countries is, you know, some of them wanted to make a deal and want to be fair.

Others perhaps got a little bit spoiled.

They were a little bit spoiled because for 30, 40 years, 50 years, they were taking advantage of the country.

So we're going to, I would say final, but if they call with a different offer, and if I like it, we'll do it.

I would say firm. No, I would say firm, but not 100% firm. If they call up and they say

would like to do something a different way, we're going to be open to

that. But essentially, that's the way it is right now, yeah.

Mary, what do you make of that? After the pause on the Liberation Day tariffs, there was a lot of

...