VELSI starts now.

Hey, good morning. It's Saturday, November the 30th, 51 days until Donald Trump's second inauguration, and he's already making moves that could initiate a damaging global trade war, literally the day he assumes office.

The president-elect has announced plans to impose tariffs that will likely result in higher costs for consumers and widespread effects on the economy and the job market.

No surprises here, however.

For months on the campaign trail, Donald Trump proclaimed that tariff is the most beautiful word in the English dictionary.

He suggested that it could be the solution to nearly everything from funding the tax cuts that he

wants to enact to subsidizing child care costs. He repeatedly vowed to impose blanket tariffs on

all imported goods, although those campaign promises were often vague and inconsistent.

But now that he's the president-elect, he's begun to roll out more concrete plans that

probably should be taken more seriously. On Monday, Trump posted on true social that he will,

quote, charge Mexico and Canada a 25% tariff on all products coming into the United States.

He adds, quote, this tariff will remain in effect until such time as drugs, in particular,

fentanyl, and all illegal aliens stop this invasion of our country, end quote.

Now, there's a lot to unpack here, but let's start with what tariffs actually are.

Tariffs are essentially a tax on imports, and on their own, they are neither good nor bad.

They can be beneficial or they can be destructive.

Depends on how they're employed.

Tariffs can also be used as a tool of trade diplomacy.

They can help a country protect its industries and jobs at home

from competitors abroad, particularly competitors who are treating America unfairly, as could also

encourage Americans to buy domestic goods over foreign ones. Tariffs can force another country to

increase their wages or improve their workers' rights protections or improve their efforts to

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