On April 2, the U.S. president signed an executive order imposing a 10 percent baseline tariff on all imports, with a 34 percent tariff on goods from China. This sweeping move, framed as a strategy to stop foreign nations from "exploiting" the U.S., has drawn criticism. Liang Yan from Willamette University commented, "I think it's very clear that Trump believes that on the trade front, the U.S. is a loser." She argues that while Trump seeks to leverage tariffs for both economic and non-economic goals, this strategy risks destabilizing the global trade system and harming the U.S. economy.