Readers respond to Question of the Week: Will tariffs cause a U.S. recession?

Of course they will

Starting a massive, unprovoked tariff war with just Canada alone, for instance, our long-time staunchest ally and huge trading partner, for no reason at all, is enough to cause a recession all by itself. Wall Street investors (not to mention American consumers) are nervous as heck, thus the stock market has been falling in flames faster than an Elon Musk rocket. Combine that with moronic tariffs with another formerly staunch ally, Mexico, along with China tariffs, and throw in massive government firings, deportations and general incompetence and chaos, how can we not avoid a recession, and, God forbid, an outright depression? I hope Trump voters are all happy.

— William Stremel, South Pasadena

Trump’s tariffs

The recession has been discussed since the end of COVID. Inevitably, the Biden administration’s massive spending spree would catch up to the American economy.

Investors will be nervous about the economic effects of a transition from a globalist administration to a nationalist one. After years promoting a service economy and taxing taxpayers for green energy constructs, the American economy does require a more diverse approach.

As a nation, we must bring back the production of oil, pharmaceuticals, steel, logging, cars and their parts and other essential industries.

To speed up the process, we need reciprocal tariffs. An international economy has been created by foreign nations leveraging America’s wealth. As difficult as transitions can be, if Trump’s plan succeeds, America will once again be a beacon of hope as envisioned by our forefathers.

— Stephen Lucas, Van Nuys

Yes, there could be

Trump himself did not deny the possibility of a worsened economic state for the U.S.

He acknowledges the likelihood that his tariffs can result in an economic recession.

While he believes the usage of tariffs increases the capability of U.S. manufactures, jobs, tax revenue and the U.S. domestic economy itself, he does not take into account the short-term and long-term effects beyond the impact on the economy.

— Kaylee Huang, Montclair