CMYK Nxxx,2025-04-08,A,001,Bs-4C,E1

THE WEATHER
Today, partly sunny, windy, chilly,
high 46. Tonight, clear to partly
cloudy, brisk, low 32. Tomorrow,
sunshine and patchy clouds, chilly,
high 48. Weather map is on Page B8.

VOL. CLXXIV . . . . No. 60,483 © 2025 The New York Times Company TUESDAY, APRIL 8, 2025 Prices in Canada may be higher $4.00

Trade War Cascades From Europe to Asia to the Gulf Coast

Trump Uses
Many Paths Nations Scramble
to Sway Trump
For Payback on Tariffs
His Campaign Blurs
This article is by Ana Swanson,
Personal and Political Alexandra Stevenson, Damien Cave
and Jeanna Smialek.
WASHINGTON — President
By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on
When President Trump re- most of America’s trading part-
turned to office, his rivals and ners has governments across the
law enforcement officials feared globe racing to schedule phone
he would follow through on his calls, send delegations to Wash-
pledges to use the Justice De- ington and offer up proposals to
partment and F.B.I. to investi- lower their import taxes in order
gate and even imprison his per- to escape the levies.
ceived enemies. On Monday, European officials
But since winning re-election, offered to drop tariffs to zero on
Mr. Trump’s retribution cam- cars and industrial goods im-
paign has turned out to be far ported from the United States, in
more expansive, efficient and return for the same treatment. Is-
creative than anticipated. It has rael’s prime minister was ex-
also been less reliant on the pected to personally petition Mr.
justice system. Trump on Monday in meetings at
Not only has he found new the White House. Vietnam’s top
ways to use his power to target leader, in a phone call last week,
those he has demonized, but his offered to get rid of tariffs on
actions — or just the prospect of American goods, while Indonesia
them — have led some of those prepared to send a high-level dele-
he has gone after to change their gation to Washington to “directly
behavior and fall into line. negotiate with the U.S. govern-
Mr. Trump has employed tac- ment.”
tics including lawsuits, executive Even Lesotho, the tiny land-
orders, regulations, dismissals QILAI SHEN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES locked country in Southern Africa,
from government jobs, withdraw- A factory in Ningbo, China, for the electric carmaker Zeekr. China’s investments in manufacturing are producing a swarm of exports. was assembling a delegation to
al of security details and public send to Washington to protest the
intimidation to take on a wide tariffs on its exports to the United
range of individuals and institu- States, which include denim for
tions he views as having unfairly
pursued him or sought to block
China’s Exports Struggling Shrimpers See the ‘Sun Coming Out’ Calvin Klein and Levi’s.
Mr. Trump and his advisers
his agenda.
In the process, he has blurred Gaining Steam worse. We’re at the bottom of the
have given mixed signals on
whether the United States is will-
the personal and the political, Pummeled by Cheaper barrel
By EMILY COCHRANE now.” ing to negotiate. On Sunday, Mr.
making it difficult in some in-
stances, like his targeting of
Like ‘Tsunami’ InFORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. —
December, Frank Parker up- Imports, Disasters
Not everyone in the seafood in-
dustry is as enthusiastic.
Trump said that the tariffs would
remain in place until U.S. trade
academic and cultural institu- After the East Coast Shellfish deficits disappeared, meaning the
graded to a bigger shrimp boat.
tions, to distinguish between his For Mr. Parker, a Mississippi
and Fuel Costs Growers Association formally en- United States is no longer buying
grievances and policy goals. By KEITH BRADSHER dorsed tariffs in a recent letter to more from these countries than it
shrimper, it was a good trade with
In many cases he is relying on, BEIJING — For decades, the the administration, the reaction sells to them. But the administra-
an older fisherman who was look-
or asserting, unilateral power world’s largest car factory was dropped to as low as $1.50 a pound from its members was “mixed,” tion still appeared to be welcom-
ing to scale back. But the driving
rather than turning to the courts Volkswagen’s complex in Wolfs- force behind acquiring a boat that for some sizes of shrimp along the Robert Rheault, the group’s exec- ing offers from foreign nations,
or federal agencies to carry out burg, Germany. But BYD, the Chi- would allow Mr. Parker to stay in Gulf Coast — while the costs of utive director, wrote in an indus- which are desperate to try to fore-
his demands. Many of his targets nese electric carmaker, is building diesel fuel and running a business try newsletter this month. There stall more levies that go into effect
deeper waters for two weeks at a
are those who prosecuted or two factories in China, each capa- have climbed. were concerns, he noted, that if on Wednesday.
time was President Trump’s re-
challenged him politically, or are ble of producing twice as many “I’ve left shrimp out there be- tariffs led to higher prices for con- On Monday, as markets recoiled
turn to the White House, and his
institutions and groups he sees cars as Wolfsburg. cause I didn’t want to give them sumers, fewer restaurant patrons for a third day and Mr. Trump
promise to tax nearly all imports.
as ideological impediments, like Recent data from China’s cen- away for $1 a pound,” Mr. Parker would order oysters and other threatened even more punishing
elite universities. When Mr. Trump followed tariffs on China, the president said
tral bank shows that state-con- said of recent shrimping trips. He shellfish.
Threatening criminal investi- through on that promise and lev- that “negotiations with other
trolled banks lent an extra $1.9 added: “I don’t see it getting any Continued on Page A14
gation is still very much part of ied tariffs across the world last countries, which have also re-
trillion to industrial borrowers
his playbook. He suggested again week, Mr. Parker, 52, said it felt quested meetings, will begin tak-
over the past four years. On the
last month that former President “like the sun coming out of the tun- ing place immediately.”
fringes of cities all over China,
Joseph R. Biden Jr. should “go to new factories are being built day nel.” “Countries from all over the
jail,” and his choice to run the and night, and existing factories It had been years since he had World are talking to us,” the presi-
U.S. Attorney’s office in Washing- are being upgraded with robots felt even a sliver of optimism dent wrote on Truth Social on
ton has repeatedly taken steps to and automation. about the shrimping industry, Monday morning. “Tough but fair
scrutinize Democrats and purge China’s investments and ad- which his family has been in since parameters are being set. Spoke
people who investigated the Jan. vances in manufacturing are pro- his ancestors moved to Biloxi, to the Japanese Prime Minister
6, 2021, Capitol attacks. ducing a wave of exports that Miss., in 1842. Gulf Coast this morning. He is sending a top
But the president’s targets are threatens to cause factory clos- shrimpers have been pummeled team to negotiate!”
often giving way under other ings and layoffs not just in the in recent years by natural and The turmoil in the stock mar-
types of pressure. United States but also around the man-made disasters, as well as kets since the president an-
Most recently, a number of globe. rising fuel costs. nounced tariffs last Wednesday
major law firms chose to buckle “The tsunami is coming for ev- But Mr. Trump’s tariffs, Mr. has prompted speculation that the
in the face of punitive executive eryone,” said Katherine Tai, who Parker and several other president might be willing to
orders that could cripple their was the United States trade repre- shrimpers said, could go a long strike some deals to roll tariffs
ability to do business, accepting sentative for former President Jo- way toward quashing perhaps Continued on Page A6
his terms rather than fight in seph R. Biden Jr. their biggest financial threat: the
court. President Trump’s steep tariffs cheap, farm-raised imported
“They’re all bending and say- announced on Wednesday, which shrimp flooding the American TURMOIL In a brutal day for
ing, ‘Sir, thank you very much,’” have caused stocks in Asia and market. Now, the biggest export- stocks worldwide, the S&P 500
Mr. Trump said last month. elsewhere to plunge, were the ers of shrimp, like Vietnam, Indo- neared a bear market. PAGE B1
He added: “Law firms are just most drastic response yet to Chi- nesia and India, face some of the
saying, ‘Where do I sign? Where na’s export push. From Brazil and largest tariffs. ZACK WITTMAN FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES
MARKETPLACE Some shoppers
do I sign?’” Indonesia to Thailand and the Eu- In recent years, the average The docks in Tampa, Fla. Farm-raised imported shrimp has rushed to beat rising prices.
Continued on Page A15 Continued on Page A7 price of headless shrimp has flooded the U.S. market, but tariffs could quash that threat. Others were patient. PAGE A13

Yards Away, Gazans Witness Israeli Attack That Kills 15 Medics Trump Wants Sixfold Increase
In Funds to Detain Immigrants
By VIVIAN YEE
ing to two men who said they had
witnessed the shootings.
and BILAL SHBAIR The two men saw what hap- medical support and other admin-
CAIRO — It was still dark out pened, they said, because they istrative services worth as much
were being held by the same Is- This article is by Allison McCann,
when a group of ambulances and a Alexandra Berzon and Hamed as $45 billion over the next two
fire truck dispatched by Palestin- raeli troops. years.
One of the two, Munther Abed, Aleaziz.
ian emergency response services ICE does not yet have that
slowed to a halt in Rafah, the 27, a volunteer paramedic, said he The Trump administration is
much money itself. But if funded,
southernmost city in Gaza, early had been detained after surviving seeking to spend tens of billions of
an earlier attack on the missing the maximum value would repre-
on March 23. They had been sent dollars to set up the machinery to
ambulance that killed two other sent more than a sixfold increase
to find their paramedic colleagues expand immigrant detention on a
crew members. The other man, in spending to detain immigrants.
who had headed out in an ambu- scale never before seen in the
Dr. Saeed al-Bardawil, 55, a physi- United States, according to a re- It is the latest indication that Pres-
lance on a rescue mission earlier ident Trump and his administra-
that morning before disappear- cian, said he had been detained quest for proposals posted online
alongside Mr. Abed when he and by the administration last week. tion are laying the groundwork to
ing. rapidly follow through on his
Now the convoy stopped next to his son were stopped by Israeli The request, which comes from
the missing ambulance, which troops on their way to go fishing the Department of Homeland Se- Continued on Page A16
stood by the side of the road near about 4:45 a.m. curity’s Immigration and
some United Nations warehouses. The New York Times inter- Customs Enforcement, calls for
THE PALESTINE RED CRESCENT
When paramedics got out to look, viewed the two men separately in contractors to submit proposals to BLOCKED The chief justice stayed
One of the rescuers killed on March 23 filmed the lead-up to the Israeli soldiers about 50 yards Gaza days after the United Na- provide new detention facilities, an order to return a mistakenly
attack. Witness accounts match the video’s sequence of events. away opened fire on them, accord- Continued on Page A8 transportation, security guards, deported migrant. PAGE 14

NATIONAL A11-19 ARTS C1-6 INTERNATIONAL A4-10 SCIENCE TIMES D1-8 SPORTS B6-10

Troubling Talk of Third Term An Adventurist Violinist Press Freedom in Cambodia Mapping the Milky Way Legend Is Now a Champion
President Trump can serve only two Patricia Kopatchinskaja, making her The country’s authoritarian dynasty After more than a decade of charting In leading UConn to the N.C.A.A. wom-
terms. His refusal to accept that under- New York Philharmonic debut, is one of had silenced most of its independent the cosmos, the European space en’s basketball title, Paige Bueckers had
scores his disregard for constitutional music’s quirkiest stars. PAGE C1 media. What’s left may fold because of a telescope has shut down. PAGE D2 a weight lifted from her. PAGE B6
norms. News analysis. PAGE A17 Trump executive order. PAGE A4
Broadway’s Betty Boop The Microplastics Inside Soto as a Minor Leaguer
Anger in Indian Country The It girl with the spit curl, played by Weighing a Black Sea Truce Scientists found a surprising amount of The Mets star keeps in touch with a
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Jasmine Amy Rogers, below, is now Ukrainians pondered what Kyiv could plastic in human brains. An old G.I. Joe, family that hosted him while he was
has vowed to improve the Indian Health starring in her own musical. PAGE C1 gain from a cease-fire now that com- below, figures into the research. PAGE D1 playing with a low-level team. PAGE B9
Service. One Native leader called his mercial shipping has resumed. PAGE A10
recent actions “shameful.” PAGE A12 OPINION A20-21
OBITUARIES A22 Matthew Schmitz
Going It Alone in Texas PAGE A20

In some of the state’s poorest counties, First-Time Tony Nominee at 77

U(D54G1D)y+#!\!$!?!,
defendants who are facing misdemean- Denis Arndt, after more than 40 years
or charges often have no choice but to as a stage and television actor, broke
represent themselves in court. PAGE A11 through in “Heisenberg.” He was 86.