Trump's tariff war is in full swing, as the biggest economy in the world is looking to run itself on tariffs. In addition, one of the other key focal points of the Trump administration has been cutting back on the US federal government's expenses.
Trump Takes an Aim At Columbia
In a recent development, Donald Trump decided to cancel a USD 400 million grant to Columbia University, one of the Ivy League colleges in the US. Trump cancelled the mammoth grant over allegations of Anti-Semitism on the campus.
At the peak of the Gaza-Israel conflict, Columbia, among many other universities, was at the centre of the protests against the atrocities committed by Benjamin Netanyahu's Israel.
The campus saw large-scale protests, wherein the student community, along with the intelligentsia of the varsity, demanded a withdrawal of investment in Israeli ventures. This particularly involved collaboration with the Israeli defence paradigm, that, at the time, was also involved in the conflict in the Middle East.
During these protests, many instances of Anti-Semitism were reported on the campus and beyond.
US House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Columbia University amid Gaza war protests, condemning hate and antisemitism. He called for the resignation of president Nemat Shafik and urged arrests for perpetrators. Johnson also suggested deploying the National Guard and demanding… pic.twitter.com/645pmb6fSS
— Free Press Journal (@fpjindia) April 25, 2024
Trump To Axe Education Dept?
This development comes at a time when Donald Trump and his lieutenant Elon Musk, the de facto head of DOGE, have been trying to reign in on expenditure.
In another major development, the US government is also reportedly looking to dismantle the education department in the country. The apparent closure of the department has been a long-standing demand of many in Trump's core base.
The Tariff War
These developments come at a time when Donald Trump's tariff war is not necessarily going as planned. The US president has gone back on forth on tariffs on Canada and Mexico twice now.
And, this is still just the first phase of his tariff regime. He had previously also expressed his intention of slapping tariffs on his European allies as well.
In addition, a blanket reciprocal tariff is also expected to kick in from April 2, wherein the US will levy a tariff on imports to US, replicating the tariff levied by the trading partners, across the globe.