Apr 04, Kathmandu- US President Donald Trump's political views have changed dramatically over the decades he has spent in the public eye. However, since the 1980s, he is firm in his belief that import tariffs have been an effective way to strengthen the United States' economy.

Now he is risking his presidential authority and dignity to prove himself right.

Surrounded by his friends, conservative politicians and ministers, Trump announced from the White House that he would impose huge import tariffs on goods from many countries entering the United States. The import tariffs will cover all countries with which America has friendly, rival and hostile relations.

Trump recalled that he has long been in favor of import tariffs and that he has previously criticized free trade agreements such as NAFTA and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Trump, acknowledging that he may face resistance from globalists and vested interests in the coming days, urged Americans to trust their conscience.

Now in his second term as president, Trump has like-minded advisers and is very powerful in the Republican Party.

His party holds majorities in both houses of the US Congress. He is therefore in a position to implement a new US-centric trade policy. He says that the policy made America a prosperous nation a century ago and will make it so again.

Economists of all stripes have warned that the burden of steep import tariffs (53 percent on China, 20 percent on the EU and South Korea, and at least 10 percent on all other nations) will fall on American consumers, raising prices and spreading economic recession throughout the world.

The US economy is considered the world’s largest. Ken Rogoff, the former chief economist of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has predicted that the US is 50 percent more likely to fall into recession as a result of Trump’s announcement.