Show overview
Trade Talks has been publishing since 2017, and across the 9 years since has built a catalogue of 219 episodes. That works out to roughly 100 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a fortnightly cadence.
Episodes typically run twenty to thirty-five minutes — most land between 22 min and 33 min — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-US-language Education show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 2 weeks ago, with 9 episodes already out so far this year. The busiest year was 2019, with 50 episodes published. Published by Chad P. Bown.
From the publisher
Chad P. Bown (Peterson Institute for International Economics) hosts a podcast about the economics of international trade and policy. From trade wars to trade deals, this podcast covers trade developments with insights and economic analysis from one of the world's top trade geeks.
Latest Episodes
View all 219 episodes216. How to Win a Trade War, with friends
215. How China's trade is holding back developing countries
214. Europe's trade war with China
213. Ups and downs at the Port of Los Angeles
212. America's semiconductor policy and the AI race with China
211. How one small American manufacturer is dealing with Trump's tariffs
210. What is America's problem with the WTO?
209. Will Trump's pharmaceutical tariffs lower prices and secure supply chains?
208. It's been one year since Trump's "Liberation Day" tariffs
Aime Williams (Financial Times) joins Chad Bown to help explain what has happened since President Trump's sweeping April 2, 2025 tariff announcement. They discuss the surprises in the US import and export data from 2025, trading partner retaliation, the deals, and what comes next after the Supreme Court's February 2026 decision (22:01).
Ep 207207. What happened on Trump's tariff day
Soumaya Keynes (Financial Times) joins to cohost an emergency episode explaining President Trump's sweeping April 2 tariff announcement. Bown and Keynes turn to Douglas A. Irwin on history, Maurice Obstfeld on the US dollar, and Kathleen Claussen on law to clarify what we know about the tariff actions so far (29:14).
Ep 206206. Paul Krugman talks trade, industrial policy, and Trump
Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman (City University of New York) joins for a wide-ranging conversation on historical lessons as well as some new thinking about international trade, the "agglomeration economies" driving geographically concentrated production, industrial policy, as well as the policy environment under President Trump (42:12).
Ep 205205. Trump's Ukraine minerals deal and China
A potential US-Ukraine critical minerals agreement is only the latest effort to address security concerns over US sourcing of critical minerals from China. America's previous top diplomat for critical minerals, Geoff Pyatt (former Assistant Secretary of State, former US ambassador to Ukraine) joins to explain (33.47).
Ep 204204. Is Europe ready for Trump?
Europe had a rocky ride during President Trump's first term, but it was largely spared from significant tariffs. The world is different this time around. Former European Commission trade official Rupert Schlegelmilch joins to explain (34:32).
Ep 203203. What if Trump halts duty-free packages from China?
Shipments of small packages from China have skyrocketed, but the de minimis policy that excludes them from tariffs may end. Chris Casey (Congressional Research Service) joins to explore the history of the US de minimis policy and Amit Khandelwal (Yale University) shares economic research into the question of what happens if the policy ends (37:33).
S1 Ep 202202. Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs are back
President Trump first imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum in 2018, but this time it's different. Ana Swanson (New York Times) joins to explain (32:23).
201. Trade Talks is back. And so is President Trump.
Tariffs from the new President call for an emergency relaunch of the longstanding trade podcast. Aime Williams (Financial Times) joins to explain what happened with Canada, Mexico, and China (29:50). Read more…
And that is all for Trade Talks
Goodbye for now, as old friend Soumaya Keynes joins Chad Bown to discuss why and what comes next.
200. Has the USMCA improved working conditions in Mexico?
The USMCA was supposed to prevent workers from being mistreated at Mexican factories. How is it working so far?
199. How trade economists busted corruption at the port
When customs officials in Madagascar cheated their country out of tax revenues, economists caught them. But the fight is not over yet.
198. Inside Washington's lobbying industry
What we know about the US lobbying industry and how it influences trade and other types of economic policy.