Sputnik: Is there really a trade war on the horizon and could the US be persuaded to remove its tariffs?
Louis Brennan: It’s not quite a trade war yet, but it is certainly a possibility, but what we’ve seen so far is more like a skirmish. To me it seems that it would be unlikely that the US would step back from using these tariffs, as Trump believes that trade wars are an easy win, but this comes from a mind-set that sees the world in linear terms, whereas the world today is a less linear system. Additionally, Trumps position on trade is quite popular in the US and this popularity transcends party lines.
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Sputnik: Would the US impose tariffs on the UK following Brexit?
Louis Brennan: It’s very difficult to predict this scenario, but as things stand at the moment, I find it somewhat improbable that the US would be imposing any tariffs in post Brexit situation, regardless of what the post Brexit scenario looks like.