In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs on various countries, products, and companies, Data Analyst Jacob Jensen has prepared a comprehensive guide to how these tariffs could be enacted, the legal authorities under which they could be levied, and the potential timeline for implementation.

Key points:

• While tariff rates and their associated costs have garnered widespread attention, the underlying mechanisms for implementing Trump’s tariff plans are less clear, as each proposal is governed by different rules and requirements depending on the rationale behind each tariff.
• The most plausible and tested avenues for swift action would be using Section 301 to raise tariffs on Chinese goods or Section 232 to raise tariffs on goods with national security implications such as steel, the routes Trump took during his first term.
• Using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act would be the fastest path toward a blanket tariff on all U.S. imports, though this approach would have more dubious legal standing and likely face hurdles that hinder unilateral enactment.

Read the analysis