Investors exhaled last weekend when Donald Trump pulled back from an escalatory tariff war with Mexico. But their relief is bound to be shortlived. Whenever the US president finds fault with another country, he reaches first for tariffs. His grievances need have nothing to do with trade: in Mexico’s case, Mr Trump was furious at the persistence of the migrant crisis on the US border. Nor does he try to link his actions to statutory cause. Mr Trump threatened Mexico under a 1977 act that authorises the president to impose penalties on America’s enemies, terrorist states and other pariahs. Mexico does not resemble any such country.
上周末，当唐纳德•特朗普(Donald Trump)从与墨西哥开打一场关税战争的悬崖边缘后退时，投资者松了一口气。但他们的宽慰注定是短暂的。每当美国总统想找另一个国家的茬时，他首先会祭出关税手段。他的怨气并不需要与贸易有任何关系：就墨西哥而言，特朗普对美国南部边境持续面临移民危机感到愤怒。他也没有试图把自己的行为与法定事由联系起来。特朗普根据1977年的一部法律威胁墨西哥，该法授权总统对美国的敌人、恐怖主义国家和其他无赖国家施以惩罚。墨西哥不像任何这样的国家。
The same applies to his serial misuse of section 232, intended to protect the US from strategic threats, to impose tariffs on America’s friends. Under no sensible assessment can Canadian metals, or European cars, be defined as a threat to US national security. Mr Trump shows every sign of continuing to abuse his powers. It is long overdue for Congress to reclaim its constitutional role on trade.
他接二连三地滥用旨在保护美国免受战略威胁的第232条，对美国的朋友征收关税，也属于这类情况。没有一项明智的评估会把加拿大的金属——或者欧洲的汽车——定性为美国面临的国家安全威胁。特朗普正在显示出继续滥用权力的迹象。国会早就应该恢复其在贸易方面的宪法角色。