President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House on March 31, 2025 in Washington, DC. [AFP] Less than three months into his second term, US President Donald Trump is following through on his campaign pledge to use trade tariffs as bargaining chips for his country’s diplomatic, economic and national security interests with the rest of the world. First on his sights included China, Canada, Mexico, Colombia, with threats of upcoming tariff action on the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom. Economists have in the past cautioned that tariffs – taxes charged by…