Trump's tariffs: Are they here to stay?

Trump's tariffs: Are they here to stay?

Author: Chatham House February 27, 2026 Duration: 29:25

The US Supreme Court ruled against President Donald Trump on his first justification for tariffs, but he says he will push them through by other means.

On this week's Independent Thinking podcast, our experts analyse why Trump is wedded to tariffs as an economic and political tool, and what effect they will have on the US and global economies.

They also discuss whether tariffs have ended globalization for good even after the Trump era ends.

Joining regular host Bronwen Maddox are Creon Butler, director of the Global Economy and Finance programme at Chatham House, and down the line from Washington, Heather Hurlburt, a consulting fellow in our US and North America Programme.

 

Presented by Bronwen Maddox. Produced by Sara Seth and Stephen Farrell.

 

Subscribe to Independent Thinking wherever you find your podcasts.

 

Chatham House's latest:

Comment | Trump's tariff strategy is alive and well by Jennifer Lind

Video | Roberta Metsola – A new Westphalia to avoid western failure

Video | Al Carns – Acting on the SDR: Britain's defence in 2026 at Chatham House's Security and Defence conference


Hosted by Chatham House director Bronwen Maddox, Independent Thinking brings the institute’s private deliberations into the public ear. This isn’t a rehearsed lecture series, but a direct channel into candid, high-level discussions typically held behind closed doors. Maddox guides conversations with a carefully selected mix of leading policymakers, frontline journalists, and Chatham House’s own deep bench of experts, focusing on the international political issues that are shaping headlines and rewriting global strategies. The tone is analytical yet accessible, privileging substance and nuance over soundbites. Each episode feels like a privileged seat at a crucial roundtable, where complex topics-from shifting alliances and economic sanctions to climate diplomacy and conflict-are unpacked with clarity and intellectual rigor. Listeners gain a clearer understanding of the forces driving world events, hearing diverse perspectives clash and converge in real time. For anyone looking to move beyond the superficial news cycle and engage with the substantive arguments defining our geopolitics, this podcast offers an essential and thoughtful resource. It’s where informed opinion meets the pressing questions of our moment, fostering a deeper kind of political literacy.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Independent Thinking
Podcast Episodes
Is Putin losing control of his war in Ukraine? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:24
Is the initiative on the Ukraine war slipping out of Russian president Vladimir Putin's hands? And how has the US-Israel war on Iran affected Moscow? The economic crisis is tightening, and Moscow and St Petersburg are in…
Is the shock of the US-Iran war helping Europe come together? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:41
EU expansion, energy shocks, and uneasy alliances: will the conflict in the Gulf – and other crises – force a more unified European strategy? This week's episode comes from the Delphi Economic Forum in Greece, where host…
Iran, Pope, Economy: How many battles can Trump fight at once? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:17
From Hormuz to Hungary and the Vatican to the Federal Reserve, it has been an unusually contentious week for the White House, even by the standards of President Trump's second administration. This week's podcast comes fr…
Why are UK energy costs so high? And how to bring them down [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:14
An earlier than usual episode of the Independent Thinking podcast, ahead of the Easter break. In a one-on-one conversation, Chatham House Director Bronwen Maddox discusses energy with Sir Dieter Helm, Professor of Econom…
Iran war: regional shock or global crisis? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:15
One month on from the start of the US and Israeli war on Iran, governments worldwide are trying to assess the scale of its long-term impact on the global economy and political system. Much will depend on how long the con…
Is Iran one crisis too many for Trump? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:29
The US-Israel war on Iran is straining Trump's alliances, at home and abroad. Three weeks into exactly the kind of war of choice that he spent years decrying, US President Donald Trump is not getting the amount of intern…
AI wars: Anthropic battles the Pentagon as China plans ahead [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:59
The US military's AI provider Anthropic is feuding with the Pentagon after the company tried to impose 'red lines' over the use of its artificial intelligence products for lethal autonomous weapons and mass surveillance…