The tariffs he imposed on China in his first term were continued by President Joe Biden, a Democrat who even expanded tariffs and restrictions on the world's second largest economy. Biden administration officials looked at removing Trump's tariffs in order to bring down inflationary pressures, only to find they were unlikely to help significantly.

Even as Mexico President Claudia Sheinbaum attempts to quell concerns over Donald Trump’s threat of 25% tariffs, economists are looking glumly at the trouble ahead should the US president-elect actually follow through.

The president-elect said that he would impose the across-the-board tariffs on Day 1 and that they would stay in place until Canada, Mexico and China halted the flow of drugs and migrants.