US Allies and Adversaries Are Dodging Trump’s Tariff Threats

Donald Trump has a clear, uncomplicated notion of how things should work. He tells everyone what to do, and they do it. In this world, law firms stop representing his accusers. Universities cede him control of admissions and curriculum. Europe and China swallow his tariffs. Corporations move their factories to the US. Ukraine surrenders to Russia. Denmark hands him Greenland. Panama hands him the canal.

To the president’s daily fury, the world outside his head isn’t always cooperating. Harvard University has forcefully fought back against his attempt to take charge of the school. After some major law firms buckled under his threats, others are now resisting. Trump has whipsawed between escalation and retreat on tariffs when other nations have refused to go along. Russian President Vladimir Putin has ignored his demands to end the bloodshed in Ukraine, and for months Chinese President Xi Jinping all but gave him the silent treatment. Fired federal workers, immigrants targeted for deportation without due process and others who’ve sued to challenge his actions are winning support from courts, including some presided over by Trump-appointed judges.