This is the Friends of History Debating Society. I am Gaius. Germanicus is here. We have our cup of wine. We're in Lunditian. It's

91 AD. It's cold. The retired centurions and their families have gone on home. There's a pandemic

gripping Roman Britain. There'll be no theater for us tonight. We will sacrifice to Augustus,

of course. We've been through pandemics before.

We are philosophizing about the 21st century since right now, it's a little grim here in

Lundinium. People worried about their children, as they must. However, in the 21st century,

they're worried about the new emperor because he, Mr. Trump, has acted upon

what he has been talking about for years. Tariffs as a way of subduing rebellions and disobedience

and slaves who do not perform their duties correctly and slaves who want to take advantage of the master's house.

That's how we think of Canada and Mexico,

or Hispania, or Gaul,

when it didn't obey Rome adequately

or thought that it had the power to defy us.

The headline in the London Times,

Trump faces backlash from businesses.

Tariffs ignite inflation fears.

That's Financial Times.

Goes on to say,

Canadian dollar and Mexican peso slide

as U.S. tariffs on nerve investors.

Germanicus, I stopped reading there because it reminds me to say that in Rome, we were not

ironic about slaves and revolt.

...