Trump’s Tariff U-turn

Radical with Amol Rajan

BBC

Society & Culture

4.5 • 919 Ratings

🗓️ 10 April 2025

⏱️ 42 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The president has paused the introduction of higher tariffs on goods from most countries, but continues to ramp up the trade war with China.

What caused the change of heart? Nick speaks to the BBC’s Economics Editor Faisal Islam. (2:19)

And before the news about the pause on those tariffs broke Nick was joined by Carla Sands, a former economic advisor to Donald Trump who was US Ambassador to Denmark, to find out what he is trying to achieve with his trade policy. Does the president want things to be made in America or are the tariffs designed to make money by putting a tax on the price of imported goods? (15:18)

He also asked her about the row between Elon Musk and Trump’s trade advisor Pete Navarro after the Tesla boss called him a “moron”.

To get Amol and Nick's take on the biggest stories and insights from behind the scenes at the UK's most influential radio news programme make sure you hit subscribe on BBC Sounds. That way you’ll get an alert every time they release a new episode.

GET IN TOUCH: * Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 * Email today@bbc.co.uk

The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Amol was the BBC’s media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he’s also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC’s political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV’s political editor.

This episode was made by Lewis Vickers with Izzy Rowley. Digital production was by Izzy Rowley. The technical producers were Mike Regaard and Graham White. The editor is Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths.

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts.
0:05.0	It was all part of the plan, says the White House, the master dealmaker, the negotiator in chief,
0:12.1	has got China where he wants them, say, his allies.
0:16.2	Yeah, right.
0:17.5	Let's just imagine for a second that this really was a plan. What it means is that Donald
0:24.7	Trump had a plan to crash the world's stock markets, wiping billions of dollars off the
0:30.6	value of American companies and off the savings of ordinary Americans. He had a plan to punish
0:37.1	friends and foes alike, accusing them of
0:40.2	raping and pillaging and looting the US economy, his words not mine, only to drop the plan
0:47.3	days later and call on those same countries to back him in a trade war with China. And yes,
0:57.1	he had a plan to lose the greatest prize the United States has. It states as the place where the globe's money is safe, the beating heart of the world
1:05.7	economy, which never falters. Some plan, ladies and gentlemen. It is clear that Donald Trump caved into
1:15.3	the markets, caved into pressure from prominent supporters like Elon Musk, caved into growing worries
1:22.9	in the Republican Party about what he was doing to the country and to the global economy. But let's
1:30.2	remember, he has just announced a temporary reprieve, a pause on higher tariffs for most of the
1:37.5	world, but an escalating trade war with China. And that's something we're going to try to
1:44.1	understand on the Today podcast
1:46.3	this week, talking to a former economic advisor to President Trump and to our economics editor,
1:52.9	Faisal Islam. So, let's do it.
1:56.3	Music Hello, it's Nick. Amal is away on his Easter break with the family. So it's just me for the next
2:15.1	couple of weeks. But I am joined by the BBC's
2:17.6	economics editor, Faisal Islam, a busy man, a man in much demand. Hello, Faisal. Hi, Nick.
	...

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