This panel will discuss trade-offs concerning U.S. foreign economic policy in the second Trump administration. The [three] experts will analyse proposals made during the Trump campaign, including the President-Elect’s tariff threats and plan to use trade defences to reduce dependence on China and combat inflation. In a time of heightened geopolitical tension and a race to secure growth in a rapidly changing global economy, the discussants will reflect on the policy shifts from Trump to Biden back to Trump again.
During the Biden administration, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan critiqued the neoliberal consensus and developed a framework (the New Washington Consensus) to break from the past and engage in domestic industrial policy that relied on a range of tools of economic statecraft. What remains of the New Washington Consensus? Will Trump 2.0 extend this vision to develop a resilient, techno-industrial base for the United States? If not, what are the primary goals for Trump 2.0 concerning flows of capital, goods, and technology? What does Trump 2.0 mean for U.S. relations with Europe, other major economies, and international economic institutions?