Trump's tariffs are back. What are they and what do they mean for the Middle East?



Donald Trump has been vocal about his planned tariff war since setting foot on the campaign trail – in both his first and second times in office.

Mr Trump began his first stint in the White House with a trade war against China. Some of those tariffs were preserved by Joe Biden’s administration when he began his term in 2020.

But throughout his campaign, Mr Trump made clear he’d come back with tariffs at full force.

What we’re seeing now is a return of that foreign economic policy – broadened, fast-tracked and intensified.

On this episode of Business Extra, we’re hearing from experts about what this means in the political sphere, but also outside it; for the everyday consumer perhaps uncertain about what a trade war can mean, and for economic machinery here in the region.

Updated: March 26, 2025, 9:26 PM

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