What Does a Smart Trade Policy Actually Look Like? With Former U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai

04/15/25 • 58 min

Tariffs. Trade wars. Global supply chains. Sound confusing? You’re not alone — and former Cabinet member U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai is here to break it all down. In this episode one of President Biden's main trade architects explains:

• Who typically oversees trade for the United States

• What trade policy is

• What tariffs are

• What Trump is doing with both

• What we should be doing instead

• How we move forward as a country -- and as a world

This is the trade episode for people who didn't think they needed it -- but are now learning the hard way that they do.

• Who typically oversees trade for the United States

• What trade policy is

• What tariffs are

• What Trump is doing with both

• What we should be doing instead

• How we move forward as a country -- and as a world

This is the trade episode for people who didn't think they needed it -- but are now learning the hard way that they do.

Previous Episode

BONUS EXPLAINER: What is Trump doing to our economy?

With tariffs dominating our lives, The People’s Cabinet drops a special pre-launch episode featuring former Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers Jared Bernstein.

In less than 20 minutes, Jared explains:

What tariffs actually are
What a “reciprocal tariff” means
Why Trump’s trade policy could backfire
How we build a thoughtful trade policy that helps Americans
How Democrats can engage disaffected and MAGA-aligned voters without losing the plot

We hope you enjoy this BONUS PREVIEW of The People's Cabinet, and stay tuned for our official launch on 4/15!

Next Episode

Why Are Powerful Interests Coming for the CFPB? With Rohit Chopra

What is the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — and why are so many powerful people trying to destroy it? In this episode of The People’s Cabinet, Dan sits down with CFPB Director Rohit Chopra to unpack what the agency actually does, how it protects everyday Americans, and what’s at stake as both Big Tech and political forces try to erode its power. From junk fees to AI-driven manipulation, Chopra lays out the future of consumer protection — and how we fight back.

We cover:

•How Trump is trying to defang the CFPB — and what’s still at risk

•Why tech and finance executives see the CFPB as a threat

•The next wave of consumer harms and how AI makes it worse

•What the CFPB is doing to protect Americans in a rapidly changing economy

• What people can do to fight back today

This is how consumer protection actually works — and how it gets undermined.