In this opinion piece, journalist Steven Greenhouse argues that Donald Trump's renewed use of tariffs is a politically motivated distraction from mounting troubles, including a faltering conflict with Iran, sliding approval ratings and rising inflation. He contends the president's justifications for the levies, including citing forced labour, are flimsy pretexts, and warns that the tariffs will primarily hurt ordinary Americans through higher prices rather than achieve their stated economic aims.

The piece cites a 50% tariff imposed on many Canadian goods and blanket 10–12.5% tariffs applied to more than 80 other countries, timed to coincide with the expiry of an earlier tariff round. The Yale Budget Lab estimates the measures will cost the average US household an extra $1,100 a year, while the US has reportedly lost 75,000 factory jobs since Trump returned to office, undermining his claim that tariffs boost domestic manufacturing. Greenhouse notes this follows the Supreme Court's rejection of Trump's broader tariff powers in February, framing the new measures as an attempt to find alternative legal justifications for a policy he is reluctant to abandon.