Expert: US risks losing trade allies with new tariffs Key US trading partners have condemned President Donald Trump's decision to slap punitive tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum, calling it "protectionism", as fears of a global trade war continue to grow. Edward Alden, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, points to overproduction in China as the main problem and says these new tariffs will likely cause the US to "lose allies in the coming trade battles with China." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES