Source: Washington Post
by Dominic Pino
“Donald Trump moves fast. Boats, however, are really, really slow. That basic disconnect is the key to understanding how the president’s tariffs are playing out. Fast: The president and his administration keep changing their plans on tariffs, seemingly by the hour — a policy whiplash that has caused chaos in the financial markets. Slow: The giant container ships that carry most international trade take about a month to cross the Pacific. That means many of the goods loaded onto ships in China the day before April 2, or what Trump has called ‘Liberation Day,’ have not reached U.S. shores. … Americans have yet to face the worst consequences of government messing so aggressively with trade. That’s because the pain is not moving at the speed of the stock market, news cycle or Trump’s social-media habit. It’s moving at the speed of those ships — and if it eventually gets here, it won’t be pretty.” (04/30/25)