Trump Favors Blunt Force in Dealing With Foreign Allies and Enemies Alike

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News Analysis
With Canada, Mexico, China, Colombia and the Middle East, President Trump has wasted no time threatening to use American might to force recalcitrant countries to back down and do what he wants.

By Peter Baker
Peter Baker, the chief White House correspondent, is covering his sixth presidency and reported from Washington.
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The tariffs, set to take effect Tuesday, amount to a declaration of economic war against America’s three largest trading partners, which have threatened to retaliate in a tit for tat that could escalate beyond any such conflict in generations. Mr. Trump’s decision to follow through on his tariff threat raises the stakes in his hard-edged America First approach to the rest of the world, with potentially profound consequences.
If he makes the targeted countries back down quickly in response to his demand to do more to stop drug trafficking, Mr. Trump will take it as a validation of his strategy. If not, and the tariffs take force and remain in place for a prolonged period, American consumers could pay a price through higher costs on many goods.
Even as he opts for strong-arm tactics, Mr. Trump is dispensing with other traditional tools of American foreign policy. He has suspended much of the international aid provided by the United States and may try to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, whose website went offline on Saturday. Such aid, while a tiny fraction of the overall federal budget, has for generations been seen as a way to build good will and influence around the world.