menu_open Columnists
Josh Boak

Josh Boak

Salon

We use cookies to provide some features and experiences in QOSHE

More information  .  Close

Trump calls the Japan trade deal on autos a major win. Detroit says it’s ‘definitely at a disadvantage’

“This is a deal that will charge lower tariffs on Japanese autos with no U.S. content,” said Matt Blunt, president of the American Automotive...

23.07.2025 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump says U.S. will hike tariffs on Canada to 35% because it has ‘many Tariff, and Non-Tariff, Policies and Trade Barriers’

President Donald Trump said in a Thursday letter that he will raise taxes on many imported goods from Canada to 35%.

11.07.2025 30

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump slaps Brazil with 50% tariff, explicitly tying action to trial of ally Jair Bolsonaro

Trump's economic emergency rationale for implementing tariffs is problematic in at least this particular instance.

10.07.2025 30

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump says it was ‘too time-consuming’ to negotiate trade deals so it was just easier to send letters

Trump chose to send form letters with random capitalizations and punctuation and other formatting issues.

09.07.2025 40

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s tariffs would cost mid-sized U.S. employers $82.3 billion, JPMorganChase Institute study finds

The sum that could be potentially managed through price hikes, layoffs, hiring freezes or lower profit margins.

02.07.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump is open to regime change in Iran, after his administration said that wasn’t the goal

“It’s not politically correct to use the term, ‘Regime Change,’ but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why...

23.06.2025 9

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump leaves G7 summit early with hints of more conflict in the Middle East: ‘Everyone should immediately evacuate Tehran!’

As Trump posed for a picture Monday evening with the other G7 leaders, he said simply, “I have to be back, very important."

17.06.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

G7 summit in Canada won’t release a joint statement as world leaders focus on not riling a Trump they disagree with

If there is a shared mission at this year’s G7 summit, which begins Monday in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, it is a desire to minimize any fireworks...

16.06.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump administration offers details of its ‘golden share’ in US Steel deal, but union says it’s ‘disappointed’

The White House is willing to insert itself aggressively into a private company's affairs even as it has simultaneously pledged to strip away...

16.06.2025 40

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump clears path for Nippon Steel investment in US Steel, so long as the Japanese firm complies with a ‘national security agreement’

Trump's executive order didn’t detail the terms of the national security agreement.

14.06.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s tax bill backfire: Foreign companies could avoid U.S. investment over steep hikes

Known as Section 899, the measure could cause companies to avoid investing in the the U.S. out of concern they could face steep taxes.

11.06.2025 7

Fortune

Josh Boak

White House asks Congress to claw back all of $9.4 billion in approved spending targeted by DOGE

It's a process known as “rescission,” which requires President Donald Trump to get approval from Congress to return money that had previously...

04.06.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Middle East investment promises balloon to $7 trillion as Trump keeps jacking up the number

Trump, who coined the phrase “truthful hyperbole” in his book “The Art of the Deal,” has been steadily boosting the amount of money he says...

21.05.2025 3

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s tariffs may mean Walmart shoppers pay more, his Treasury chief acknowledges

“Walmart will be absorbing some of the tariffs, some may get passed on to consumers,” Bessent said on CNN.

19.05.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump tells Walmart to ‘EAT THE TARIFFS’ after retail giant warns on price hikes from higher import taxes

“Walmart should STOP trying to blame Tariffs as the reason for raising prices throughout the chain,” Trump posted.

17.05.2025 3

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump cuts tariffs on U.K. cars, steel and aluminum but keeps 10% base duty while Britain trims its taxes on 2,500 U.S. products

Under the framework agreement, the United Kingdom is to buy more American beef and ethanol and streamline its customs process for goods from the...

09.05.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Toyota forecasts a 35% drop in profits as Trump’s auto tariffs begin to bite

Toyota's profit forecasts are closely watched in Japan, due to the importance of the country's auto industry.

08.05.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s conflicting statements confuse tariff picture—is it ‘strategic uncertainty’ or is he unclear what he wants?

Trump says the United States does not have to sign any agreements, and that it could sign 25 of them right now.

08.05.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump says his relief on 25% auto tariffs is bid to help carmakers ‘during this little transition’ to building in U.S.

Automakers and independent analyses have indicated that the tariffs could raise prices, reduce sales and make U.S. production less competitive...

30.04.2025 20

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s own contradictions on his tariff plan could lead to enormous consequences for Americans

Trump says he's on a path to cut several new trade deals in a few weeks.

25.04.2025 6

Fortune

Josh Boak

Half of Americans are very worried the U.S. is headed toward a recession—and point the finger to Trump’s tariffs

Americans’ trust in President Donald Trump to bolster the U.S. economy appears to be faltering.

24.04.2025 7

Fortune

Josh Boak

3 in 4 Americans think Trump’s trade policies will increase prices: ‘This whole tariff war is just a losing situation’

About half of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of the U.S. economy going into a recession in the next few...

24.04.2025 7

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump might pump the brakes on auto tariffs — ‘I don’t change my mind but I’m flexible,’ president says

Trump's statement hinted at yet another round of reversals on tariffs.

15.04.2025 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

Democrats dislike the ‘chaos’ of Trump’s trade war, but ‘nobody on our side thinks zero tariffs ever’

“Tariffs are an important tool in our economic toolbox,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.

12.04.2025 2

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s promised ‘Liberation Day’ of tariffs is coming. Here’s what it could mean for you

“There is a chance tariffs on goods begin to filter through to the pricing of services,” said Samuel Rines, a strategist at WisdomTree.

30.03.2025 9

Fortune

Josh Boak

U.S. Vice President JD Vance and wife change their Arctic itinerary—much to the relief of Greenland and Denmark

“Greenland and Denmark have stated very clearly that they don’t want the U.S. to visit right now, when Greenland doesn’t have a government in...

26.03.2025 20

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump says he’ll slap a 25% tariff on countries that buy oil from ‘very hostile’ Venezuela

Trump said Venezuela has been “very hostile” to the U.S. and countries purchasing oil from it will be forced to pay the tariff on all their trade...

25.03.2025 5

Fortune

Josh Boak

Howard Lutnick says Trump may give Canada and Mexico some wiggle room for his tariffs just one day after rolling them out

The U.S. stock market has given up all of the gains since Trump's victory in last year's presidential election.

05.03.2025 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

European stocks drop at open as Trump’s tariffs kickstart—amid fears of looming levies on Europe

U.S. President Trump kickstarted tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, with the possibility that similar levies could hit Europe.

04.03.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump tariffs on Canada and Mexico go into effect as China hits back at U.S. farm exports and Canada prepares to roll out its own

Starting just past midnight, imports from Canada and Mexico are now to be taxed at 25%, with Canadian energy products subject to 10% import duties.

04.03.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Government spending could be separated from GDP reports—doing so could distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy’s health

Government spending is traditionally included in the GDP because changes in taxes, spending, deficits and regulations by the government can impact the...

03.03.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

The Trump administration may exclude government spending from GDP, obscuring the impact of DOGE cuts

Doing so could potentially complicate or distort a fundamental measure of the U.S. economy's health.

02.03.2025 3

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump takes actions to increase lumber supplies and curb wood imports

The executive order would also streamline the permitting process for obtaining wood products.

02.03.2025 3

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump executive order directs government to consider copper tariffs—’It will have a big impact’

America runs a surplus with copper and the administration sees a national security risk from the forecasts of supply and demand.

26.02.2025 20

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump executive order aims to seize control from independent watchdogs — SEC, FTC, and FCC

The move generated criticism that it could ultimately lead to abuses by the Trump administration.

20.02.2025 9

Fortune

Josh Boak

Economist warns Trump plan for reciprocal tariffs on U.S. trading partners could backfire: ‘A fundamental misunderstanding of how the global economy works’ 

Wells Fargo analysts said in a Thursday report that the tariffs would likely hurt growth this year, just as the possibility of extended and expanded...

14.02.2025 9

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump agrees to 1-month pause on Mexico tariff after deal on border troops, but import taxes still in place for Canada and China

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 members of her country's national guard to the border to address drug trafficking.

04.02.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump admits Americans could feel ‘some pain’ from his tariffs, but it will be ‘worth the price’

"Therefore, Canada should become our Cherished 51st State. Much lower taxes, and far better military protection for the people of Canada — AND NO...

02.02.2025 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump fires the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Rohit Chopra's tenure saw the removal of medical debt from credit reports and limits on overdrafts penalties.

01.02.2025 7

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump says U.S. will hit Canada and Mexico with 25% tariffs on Feb. 1 but oil may be exempt

The risk of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican oil could undermine Trump's repeated pledge to lower overall inflation by reducing energy costs.

31.01.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Service workers SEIU union rejoins AFL-CIO after 20 years, increasing its political heft ahead of Trump’s inauguration

Both AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler and SEIU President April Verrett were careful to say that the combination was not a consequence of Donald...

09.01.2025 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Biden will decide whether US Steel can be sold to a Japanese company for $15 billion

Some federal agencies were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American steelmaker would create national security risks.

24.12.2024 10

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump tells dockworkers union facing expiring contract that ports shouldn’t install more automated systems

The International Longshoremen’s Association has until Jan. 15 to negotiate a new contract with the U.S. Maritime Alliance, which represents ports...

13.12.2024 6

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump’s first-term tariffs did little to affect the economy, but this time he’s talking about going much bigger

The data show the first-term tariffs never fully delivered on his promised factory jobs. Nor did they provoke the avalanche of inflation that...

28.11.2024 5

Fortune

Josh Boak

As US debt hits $36 trillion, about 1 in 5 dollars the government spends repays investors for borrowed money

“It's clear the current amount of debt is putting upward pressure on interest rates, including mortgage rates for instance."

24.11.2024 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

Trump will be able take credit for large parts of Biden infrastructure spending—if he wants to

Biden, himself, acknowledged last week that the positive economic impacts from his policies would occur after his term ends in January.

12.11.2024 5

Fortune

Josh Boak

Harris and Trump tout their economic policies as best chance to win Latino voters

It sets up a question of whether memories of a Trump presidency or the promise of new policies under Harris will do more to energize Latino voters.

22.10.2024 8

Fortune

Josh Boak

Union petitions skyrocket under Biden, doubling for the first time in 50 years

During Trump’s presidency, union petitions declined 22%.

15.10.2024 4

Fortune

Josh Boak

Biden administration to provide $750m to Wolfspeed for advanced chip plants in North Carolina and New York

Wolfspeed's use of silicon carbide enables the computer chips used in electric vehicles and other advanced technologies to be more efficient.

15.10.2024 3

Fortune

Josh Boak

Hurricanes Helene and Milton reshape final weeks of Harris-Trump campaign battle

The back-to-back hurricanes have jumbled the schedules of Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump.

11.10.2024 10

Fortune

Josh Boak