President Trump has shifted his tone on trade with China, signaling a potential shift in policy and easing tensions amid new education initiatives.
President Donald Trump has changed his tone on trade with China, signaling a potential shift in policy. The U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods have sparked a trade war between the world’s two largest economies, with Beijing responding with its own 125% tariff on American goods.
In 2018, President Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports to address trade imbalances and intellectual property theft.
The initial tariffs targeted $50 billion worth of Chinese goods, including electronics, machinery, and chemicals.
China retaliated with its own tariffs on US exports.
As a result, the US-China trade war escalated, affecting global markets and economies.
By 2020, Trump had imposed tariffs on over $360 billion worth of Chinese imports, making it one of the largest trade disputes in history.
The current state of the trade war is uncertain, and it remains to be seen whether policy changes will come as a result of Trump‘s change in tone. However, the shift in approach has significant implications for the stock market and economic uncertainty that Trump‘s tariffs have created.
One expert notes that if the tariffs stay in place, trade between China and the U.S. will virtually halt. The president initially acknowledged that there could be short-term economic pain, but it would be worth it. However, his team has been boasting about striking deals, which may make it unlikely that China‘s President ‘Xi Jinping’ will come to the table to negotiate.
The White House has not publicly offered specifics on a proposed peace plan for Ukraine, but it appears to heavily favor Russia. Trump wants peace now and sees leverage over Kyiv as the quickest way to get there, which is why some experts believe the president is asking a lot of Ukraine and so little of ‘Russia’.
In other news, President Trump signed a sweeping list of executive actions targeting higher education and K-12 schools. The actions include proposals to eliminate college DEI programs and new discipline guidance for public schools. One of the higher education orders directs Education Secretary ‘Linda McMahon‘ to overhaul the college accreditation system. Another action threatens to revoke federal university grants if schools don’t complete ‘full and timely disclosure of foreign funding.’
During his presidency, Donald Trump implemented several education reforms aimed at improving the nation's educational system.
One notable policy was the expansion of school choice programs, allowing low-income students to attend private schools using federal funds.
Additionally, Trump proposed the 'Pledge to America's Students', which included measures to improve teacher training and increase access to vocational education.
However, his administration also faced criticism for its handling of student loan debt and its decision to rescind Obama-era protections for transgender students.
The Trump administration is trying to create ways to hold colleges accountable for ‘ideological overreach’ and to increase ‘intellectual diversity’ on campus. An action targeting K-12 schools calls for revoking previous policies aimed at reducing racial disparities in discipline practices like suspensions and expulsions.
A New Era for Education
The collection of executive actions focuses on cementing Trump‘s conservative agenda regarding education in the U.S. The Department of Education says it will resume collections on defaulted student loans on May 5, affecting some 5 million borrowers nationwide.
During his presidency, Donald Trump promoted a conservative agenda focused on economic growth, national security, and social issues.
Key components included tax cuts, deregulation, and judicial appointments.
He also emphasized border control and immigration reform.
Additionally, Trump supported Second Amendment rights, opposed abortion, and advocated for school choice programs.
For the first time in five years, the Department of Education will take funds from borrowers’ tax refunds, Social Security benefits, and eventually wages to collect on defaulted loans. Borrowers can check their status by logging into ‘StudentAid.gov’ and see how much they owe if they are in default. The three primary ways to get out of default are to repay the loans in full, loan consolidation, and rehabilitation.
Other News
In other news, Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical company behind the weight loss drug Zepbound, is suing four telehealth companies for allegedly selling illegal copies of the drug produced by compounding pharmacies. ‘NPR‘ wants to hear from you about your most memorable moments with your mom for a potential Mother’s Day story.
