If you have a chance to see this special that first aired in September, please do. Not since Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos has a country’s leader lined his own pockets with billions while destroying their country’s economy.
“Big, Beautiful Tariffs: A Fareed Zakaria Special”, premiered Monday, September 1 at 8PM ET/PT on CNN and CNN International, and takes viewers back through history – to understand the forces behind this dramatic shift, and the likely impact of this current protectionist gamble.
Trump’s tariff policies tap into a powerful nostalgia for an economy that used to really make things—and for the bountiful middle-class manufacturing jobs that came with it. It’s an understandable desire to go back to a past that shaped the country’s economy and character. In this special hour, Zakaria investigates how Trump’s chaotic economic experiment, inspired by policies from the 1800s, may ultimately hurt more Americans than it helps and jeopardize the jobs of the future.
Through reporting and analysis, Zakaria explores the decline of American manufacturing jobs, the seductive but outdated vision of a manufacturing comeback, and the real risks of undermining America’s economic leadership in high-tech industries. The special hour features interviews with leading experts, including:
- David Autor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Author, “The Work of the Future”
Peter S. Goodman, The New York Times; Author, “How the World Ran Out of Everything”
Douglas A. Irwin, Dartmouth College; Author, “Clashing Over Commerce”
Jennifer M. Miller, Dartmouth College; Author, “Cold War Democracy”
Leah Wright Rigueur, Johns Hopkins University; Author, “The Loneliness of the Black Republican”
You can see it on demand via the CNN website, apps, and platforms like DirecTV, or stream it on services like Discovery+, HBO Max, and Prime Video.