The ‘unfair’ tariffs announced by the hardline Republican mark a shift in US trade policy from multilateralism to protectionism, in line with the president’s ‘America First’ rhetoric.
And Jean-Marc Siroën said: “The United States can leave the WTO and exert pressure on other countries to follow suit.
“He can also choose to ignore any rulings by the WTO … even if that that leads to retaliatory measures [against US products].
“But when this wave of complaints [against the US] does happen, it will be a lot easier for Trump to say that the WTO is stopping him from acting in America’s best interests and ultimately leave the organisation. He has the power to render the WTO brain-dead.”
Mr Trump’s pledge to impose duties of 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminium to counter cheap imports, namely from China, marks a turning point in US trade policy away from free trade towards ‘America First’ measures, according to Mr Siroën.
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Speaking to French daily Le Figaro, he said: “The US has always been a defender of the multilateral trade system, but [the tariffs] mark an important shift in US policy towards protectionism… Trump’s stance constitutes a provocation towards the WTO, and not just his trading partners.”
When asked to outline the impact of Mr Trump’s tariffs on both global and national trade, Mr Siroën said: “If these tariffs are confirmed by the Trump administration, the WTO will immediately be flooded with complaints.
“The impact on steel and aluminium [manufacturers] will be limited; it will be symbolic more than anything else.”
But the steel and aluminium tariffs could spark a “dangerous” trade war, he warned.
Mr Siroën said: “The tariffs will trigger a vicious circle of tit-for-tat retaliation, which has already started. The European Union will impose higher tariffs on American goods, the US will hit back and target German cars and so forth. That said, I think that the EU is in a position to fight back.”
Mr Trump does not realise that his protectionist policy aimed at saving fading industries will end up hurting all Americans, he continued.
Mr Siroën said: “He wants to shift production back to the US but doesn’t realise that his protectionist actions come at a high cost. He doesn’t realise that measures he says are good for America but bad for the rest of the world are in fact also bad for America.”
Brussels has threatened to impose new tariffs on American orange juice, bourbon, denim, cranberries, peanut butter and motorcycles in retaliation against Mr Trump’s steel and aluminium tariffs.