President Trump promised energy dominance. But his sweeping new tariffs are delivering the opposite – creating unprecedented uncertainty for every sector of the energy economy.

Faced with a market in revolt, the president blinked. Just hours after his tariffs went into effect, he put a 90-day pause on reciprocal tariffs, keeping a 10% baseline tariff and a 125% tariff on China. 

In this episode of Open Circuit, we examine the contradictions at the heart of the administration's economic agenda. With trade expert John Smirnow, we explore how the "biggest trade shock in history" is upending global supply chains, raising costs, and complicating America's energy future.

We dive into the philosophy driving trade populism — a growing intellectual movement now reaching the height of power. Smirnow explains the three-part strategy behind these tariffs: rebuilding domestic manufacturing, enhancing national security, and containing China's influence on global supply chains.

We unpack the mechanics of how these tariffs will impact clean energy specifically. Plus, we examine whether these tariffs signal a temporary disruption or the beginning of long-term U.S. policy. Will they accelerate reshoring of production or simply raise costs while slowing deployment? And how do businesses make investment decisions when policy signals are deeply contradictory and unstable?

Sign up for our live virtual show on April 16 at 1:00 PM Eastern. 

We'll also be live in person at Latitude's Transition-AI conference on June 12th in Boston with special guest Caroline Golin of Google.

Open Circuit is supported by Kraken, the only proven, AI-powered operating system for utilities. Learn how Kraken helps unlock excellent customer experiences, increased innovation and reduced operational costs at kraken.tech.

Open Circuit is brought to you by On.Energy. As one of the fastest-growing battery storage IPPs, On.Energy delivers turnkey resiliency solutions for utilities and enterprise customers. Whether you’re managing data centers or local grids, we help bring storage to your fleet. Learn more at on.energy.

Credits: Co-hosted by Stephen Lacey, Jigar Shah, and Katherine Hamilton. Produced and edited by Stephen Lacey. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand.

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