Episode 17: Business on the Frontlines: Trade, Tariffs, and the New Economic Battleground

In this episode, we sit down with Professor Chad Huemme to tackle the evolving role of business in today’s geopolitical and economic tensions. We begin by examining what corporate America should do to address concerns regarding immigration enforcement and the broader issues associated with ICE agents in communities and workplaces.We examine the economic war that appears to be unfolding, assessing the real impact of tariffs on businesses across North America and the strategic choices Canada is making as it explores deeper trade relationships with China, while remaining tightly linked to the U.S. supply chain.We assess the consumer reality that underpins all of this: as consumers in a global marketplace, we absorb Chinese-made products. The truth is that even if we wanted to peel back deep consumerism, dependency on China’s goods and materials runs far deeper than finished products—it extends into raw materials essential to manufacturing.Professor Huemme and I break down the challenge of bringing manufacturing back to the United States, the hurdles businesses face in reshoring production, and why disentangling from an interconnected global economy is far more complex than headlines suggest.This is a business conversation with no easy answers—just hard questions about supply chains, trade, policy, and the future role of commerce in shaping economic and social stability.