menu_open Columnists
Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

New Republic

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Billionaire hedge fund boss Ken Griffin to Trump: Don't mess with the Fed

The Citadel CEO's vocal criticism breaks sharply from the wider U.S. business community, which has largely stayed quiet as Trump attacks the Fed

yesterday 0

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump team’s trade war concession: Not everything can be made in America

A new executive order concedes that the U.S. can't grow bananas or coffee in large amounts. Now they qualify for zero tariffs

yesterday 1

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump targets the EU with tariff threat over tech penalties

Trump floated a Section 301 probe after Brussels fined Google $3.5 billion, threatening tariffs just weeks after sealing a deal with the EU

saturday 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump irons out a trade deal with Japan that sets 15% tariffs

The agreement also stated that Tokyo will step up purchases of U.S. rice by 75% and more agricultural products totaling $8 billion annually

05.09.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump’s pick for a key Fed slot says he wouldn’t quit his White House job. That’s unprecedented

Stephen Miran says he’ll take only unpaid leave from the White House if confirmed to the FOMC — a plan a former official called “the opposite of...

05.09.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump administration warns Supreme Court that tariff ruling could tank dozens of trade talks

The petition acknowledged the Trump administration is still molding trade deal frameworks into final agreements

04.09.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

America's job market is flashing a new warning sign

The number of unemployed people surpassed job openings in July, according to new data. An economist called it "another crack in the labor market"

03.09.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

A court struck down Trump's tariffs. What happens to the money if they don't survive?

A federal court loss could open the door to at least $100 billion in tariffs getting refunded by the Trump administration

03.09.2025 6

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump will seek fast-tracked Supreme Court ruling on his tariffs after legal setback

Country-specific tariffs are in effect until Oct. 14 while the White House brings its case to the Supreme Court

03.09.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

How Trump turned August into a drama-filled month for the U.S. economy

It was a dramatic month with Trump taking fresh gambles that risk undermining U.S. financial credibility and make everyday life more expensive

31.08.2025 9

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump is jeopardizing his trade deal with the European Union over tech and taxes

Trump is willing to gamble his trade agreement with the European Union on their regulation of U.S. tech companies

29.08.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Fed Governor Lisa Cook sues Trump and sets up a historic fight over the central bank

Cook's lawsuit sets in motion a legal battle that's likely to land before the Supreme Court within weeks

28.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump can't fire Jerome Powell. So he's going after the rest of the Fed

The president is pursuing changes to the 12-member Federal Open Market Committee that casts votes to decide the cost of borrowing

27.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Fed Governor Lisa Cook will sue the Trump administration over her firing

The pending court battle is certain to carry enormous stakes for the future of the Federal Reserve and it's independence from the executive branch

26.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump says he is ousting Fed Governor Lisa Cook in huge escalation of his fight against the central bank

It was unclear whether Trump had the legal authority to pull off the move, which could trigger a court battle

26.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

The U.S. is taking a page from China with its bet on Intel

Under Trump, the U.S. is joining China in its promotion of "national champions," companies in strategic sectors that advance national interests

26.08.2025 1

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump fired the U.S. economic data chief. Argentina has a costly lesson for him

Argentina once booted statistician Graciela Bevacqua for refusing to produce lower inflation figures, deepening a cycle of turmoil.

23.08.2025 9

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Powell carefully avoided the elephant in the room in last Jackson Hole speech

Powell's silence reflects an attentiveness to keeping the Fed from getting dragged further onto the battlefield of national politics

23.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump says Intel CEO agreed to hand the U.S. a 10% stake in chipmaking company

The deal, as laid out, is very unusual given the U.S.'s traditional emphasis on free market capitalism

23.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Powell opens the door to September interest rate cut, and financial markets surge

Powell's final speech at Jackson Hole carries enormous stakes as Trump expands his offensive against the central bank

22.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump says he'll fire Fed's Lisa Cook if she doesn't resign over mortgage fraud allegations

It's the latest sign Trump is broadening his offensive against the Fed to include central bank officials who decide the direction of interest rates

22.08.2025 1

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

The DOJ is considering a probe into Fed's Lisa Cook over mortgage fraud allegations

The DOJ is potentially launching an investigation into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook — unless she's fired first

21.08.2025 1

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

The U.S. and EU start formalizing their sweeping trade deal

The U.S. and the E.U. announced details for the trade deal last month that establishes a 15% tariff on most European imports into the United States.

21.08.2025 7

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Fed officials believed risk of inflation outpaced concerns of weaker labor market, according to July Fed minutes

Fed officials "generally" expected inflation to increase in the short term due to President Donald Trump's tariffs, the Fed's July minutes said

20.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump demands the Federal Reserve's Lisa Cook step down

Another Board of Governors opening would pave the way for the president to install a second pick friendlier to his push for lower interest rates.

20.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump's metal tariffs are widening to include furniture, kitchenware, and air conditioners

The rapid speed from announcement to implementation gave importers little time to fortify their supply chains against the latest tariff barrage

19.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Nevada Democrats push for changes to 'no tax on tips' law, setting off legal concerns

A letter from five Nevada Democrats spotlights an intensifying lobbying blitz as the Trump administration starts carrying out its new law

18.08.2025 9

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

The Fed winds down a program that kept tabs on banks' crypto activities

The central bank created the unit to monitor crypto and fintech activities after Silicon Valley Bank's abrupt implosion

16.08.2025 7

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

The IRS is sharing taxpayer data with ICE as Trump accelerates deportations

The U.S. government acknowledged in federal court for the first time that the Internal Revenue Service is sharing taxpayer data with Immigration and...

15.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump's deal to take a cut of Nvidia's chip sales in China could open national security 'up for bidding'

The arrangement raised worries about a U.S. AI chip firm seemingly buying access into China with national security taking a backseat.

13.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent pressures Fed for interest rate cuts, joining Trump's central bank crusade

It's the first time that Bessent has pressured the central bank for lowering the cost of borrowing, citing weak employment growth

13.08.2025 30

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump threatens Fed's Powell with lawsuit, stepping up his attacks

The president's latest barrage against Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell included legal threats over a renovation of the Fed's headquarters

12.08.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump keeps the door open to extending pause on Chinese tariffs past Aug. 12

China and the U.S. are still attempting to negotiate a broad trade agreement that would avert triple-digit tariffs on each other

11.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump exempts gold from U.S. tariffs

Surging demand for gold has helped magnify the trade deficit between the U.S. and Switzerland

11.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Intel CEO to visit White House after Trump pressed for his removal

CEO Lip-Bu Tan may highlight the ways Intel could partner with the U.S. government, according to a WSJ report

11.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Combat by commerce: Trump's forever war in trade

Trump has displayed a willingness to tear up trade deals he's negotiated, opening the possibility of never-ending trade hostilities

09.08.2025 9

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Intel's top executive digs in after Trump demands his ouster

In a publicly-posted note to Intel employees on Friday, Tan said there has been "a lot of misinformation" regarding his past roles

08.08.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

OpenAI launches GPT-5 with 'PhD-level' intelligence and aggressive pricing

The launch represents the company's biggest upgrade since ChatGPT debuted in November 2022 and now serves 700 million weekly users

08.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump appoints a fellow critic of Fed's Jay Powell to key seat at the central bank

If confirmed by the Senate, Stephen Moran's appointment will give Trump an ally on the Fed board tasked with setting borrowing rates in the U.S.

08.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump demands Intel CEO resign, calling him 'conflicted'

GOP Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas sent a letter to Intel’s board of directors describing Tan's connections to the Chinese government

07.08.2025 6

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump says he will put 100% tariffs on computer chips — with a big carve-out for companies like Apple

Trump made the announcement on the same day Apple said it was investing an extra $100 billion in the U.S.

07.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump doubles tariffs on India to 50%, stacking more import taxes on a big U.S. trading partner

India did not rule out imposing retaliatory tariffs in response to Trump's anger over its continued purchases of Russian oil.

06.08.2025 2

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

'Divorce is not an option': A prominent GOP lawmaker on the U.S., Mexico, and Trump's tariffs

Republican Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska is part of a small but potent free-trade wing of the GOP almost extinguished by Trump

06.08.2025 5

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump takes Scott Bessent off his short-list to replace Jerome Powell as the next Fed chair

The president also said he would soon roll out new tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductor chips

05.08.2025 3

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump is poised to put more big stamps on the economy this week

Trump said he will announce a new statistician and Fed governor in the coming days. His tariffs are also set to kick in

04.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump fires chief of labor statistics agency, sparking some GOP criticism

Trump’s BLS purge drew swift rebukes from economists and elevated concerns of political interference with data that angers the president

02.08.2025 10

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump unveils new tariffs on almost 70 countries, seeking to upend global trade again

The fusillade of tariffs will be applied to countries spanning the globe from the United Kingdom to Laos, with a minimum 15% import tax

01.08.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Key GOP senators want Trump's chief attack dog to back off Jerome Powell

FHFA Director Bill Pulte has helped orchestrate a fiery campaign against Powell and demanded the Fed chair resign. The moves are drawing GOP scrutiny

31.07.2025 4

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Trump's brief truce with Fed Chair Jerome Powell ends with renewed attacks over interest rates

Trump’s renewed volley of personal insults signal he appears prepared to keep up his intense pressure campaign against Powell

31.07.2025 8

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig

Scott Bessent called Trump accounts for newborns 'a backdoor for privatizing Social Security'

The Treasury Secretary made the comments during a podcast taping on Wednesday

30.07.2025 30

Quartz

Joseph Zeballos-Roig