Will Trump's Tariffs Stop Fentanyl?

I think about Trump’s tariffs like a game of chicken. Though he signed on for 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, and 10 percent tariffs on China, he knows their long-term implementation would be devastating for everybody involved.

But he also knows that America’s a big, scary monster truck, and he’s betting the other countries’ sensible sedans will swerve off the road first.

So far, at least concerning fentanyl, it’s working. Mexico pledged to send 10,000 troops to the border to help stop the drug’s flow, and Canada also promised to beef up their border security.*

*You may be asking: Canada? Fentanyl? Border security? And while it’s true that only a tiny fraction of our drug seizures are made at the northern border, there is significant fentanyl production in Canada, much of it from Chinese gangs who seem to operate there with greater impunity than in the US.

China however has not budged so far, doubling down on their argument that the demand for fentanyl is America’s problem. Indeed, the demand for fentanyl is America’s problem, but I still don’t think this is good PR. In a way, it’s not dissimilar to the NRA’s claim that, “Guns don't kill people, people kill people.” Maybe that’s true, but that doesn’t mean we should flood our populace with it.

Regarding China, Trump sees an opportunity for a quick W. And he’ll likely get it. Here’s why: