From Universities To Tariff Wars: How Trump’s ‘My Way Or Else’ Tactics Redraw US Power Lines

By Supratik Das
Sun, 13 Jul 2025 06:15 PM (IST)

Source:JND

President Donald Trump frequently promotes himself as America's greatest dealmaker. But his recent moves from imposing tariffs on allies to threatening universities and bullying the Federal Reserve expose a negotiating style that critics characterise as more coercion-oriented than compromising. In recent weeks, Trump circumvented months of trade talks and announced fresh tariffs on key US trade partners. Nations such as Mexico, the European Union, and even longtime allies Canada and South Korea have been sent letters detailing sharp new tariffs, in some cases, as high as 30 per cent.

It was designed by Navarro, one of the White House's most important trade advisers, to deliver "90 deals in 90 days." But growing impatient with negotiations, Trump went back on his word and imposed tariffs, an unprecedented move in the history of US trade, according to economists cited by PTI."Imposing tariffs based on one individual's whims has no precedent since the 17th century," said John C. Brown, Professor Emeritus of Economics at Clark University. "It's just bizarre.

Universities Face Funding Clout

Trade officials warn that the application of tariffs as threats risks eroding confidence in future US trade agreements. Inu Manak, a Council on Foreign Relations trade policy fellow, said Trump even threatened tariffs to persuade Brazil's courts to discontinue charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro.Trump's aggressive strategy carries over to university education. Last April, the administration ordered Harvard University to reform its governance and appoint staff to combat supposed liberal bias. When Harvard pushed back, federal administrators shut off 2.2 billion USD in research funding vital to research on cancer, space exploration and disease prevention. The administration has also gone after other high-profile universities. The University of Pennsylvania lost federal funding temporarily worth 175 million USD over issues related to transgender athlete policies.

Columbia University altered its Middle East studies department following the White House's withdrawal of 400 million USD. The president of the University of Virginia resigned in the wake of a Justice Department investigation into diversity initiatives. The same investigation has now commenced at George Mason University."Federal funding is a privilege, not an entitlement, for colleges and universities," said White House spokesman Kush Desai. Education officials worry this strong-arm application of cash jeopardizes academic freedom. "Institutional autonomy is what allows universities to seek truth free from politics," said American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell.

Federal Reserve Also Under Pressure

Trump has also repeatedly battled the independent Federal Reserve. He is angry with Fed Chair Jerome Powell for not lowering interest rates as fast as he would like, a step that can relieve debt burdens on consumers and fund federal outlays.While Trump has stated he won't remove Powell, he has publicly demanded his resignation and allies have examined the Fed's spending, such as its expensive renovation of its headquarters."There will be actual costs if markets believe the Fed has been beaten into submission," warned David Wessel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.