Ever wondered how the Trump tariffs could possibly make sense?
In this episode of The Civic Podcast, host Markus Wagner sits down with Stephen Vaughn, former General Counsel for the U.S. Trade Representative, for a spirited discussion on the Trump administration’s trade policy. They explore and discuss the rationale behind Trump’s tariff agenda, its impact on businesses, and the future of global trade governance.
Vaughn, a partner at King & Spalding, offers an insider's perspective on Trump’s "America First" approach, challenges what is arguably the consensus among policy analysts and advocates for a trade philosophy that prioritizes American workers and national independence.
Tune in to a timely conversation about power, politics, and the real-world trade-offs in a rapidly changing world in which "tariff threats work".
Links:
Giovanna Coi, US popularity collapses worldwide in wake of Trump’s return, Politico, 12 May 2025
Rachel F. Fefer, Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act, Congressional Research Service, 1 April 2022
Gallup, Most Americans Skeptical About Benefits of Tariffs, 28 April 2025
Tobias Gehrke, Cards on the table: Why the EU should negotiate Trump’s tariffs in three phases, European Council of Foreign Relations, 28 April 2025
Nicolas Lamp, What President Trump’s “Reciprocal” Tariffs Mean for International (Trade) Law, EJIL:Talk!, 30 April 2025
Donald MacKay, More US section 232 investigations underway – WTF is going on?, 1 May 2025
Nira Data, Democracy Perception Index (DPI) 2025
Mona Paulsen, The Past, Present, and Potential of Economic Security, forthcoming in Yale Journal of International Law, vol. 50, pp. ___ (2025)
Li Yuan, There Are Two Chinas, and America Must Understand Both, New York Times, 13 May 2025
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Stephen Vaughn is a partner at the International Trade Team of King & Spalding. Prior to his current position, Stephen completed more than two years as the General Counsel's office of the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR). In that position, he managed a team of government attorneys representing U.S. interests in both trade negotiations and trade litigation. While at USTR, Stephen was directly involved in numerous significant issues, including the USMCA, actions undertaken by the U.S. against China pursuant to Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974, and efforts to revise the Korea/U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS). On the litigation side, he supervised U.S. litigation efforts before the World Trade Organization.
Markus Wagner is Professor of Law at the University of Wollongong, Australia and has advised the private sector, governments and international organizations. An award-winning instructor, his academic work and consulting are focused on the intersections of international trade law and governance, and international peace and security, as well as US and Australian constitutional law. Professor Wagner is a sought after commentator on TV, radio and other news outlets.