# Can Trump’s tariffs help solve America’s $40-trillion debt problem? Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hub-podcasts-4932773/can-trump-s-tariffs-help-solve-america-s-40-trillion-debt-problem Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/hub-podcasts-4932773/can-trump-s-tariffs-help-solve-america-s-40-trillion-debt-problem.md Podcast: [Hub Podcasts](https://stenobird.com/podcast/hub-podcasts-4932773) Published: 2026-08-26T21:55:38+00:00 Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/hub-podcasts/episodes/can-trumps-tariffs-help-solve-americas-40-trillion-debt-prob Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/69cc1a3992d007a7658eee4e/e/6a8f5f588c8b2d9d8e3b7b12/media.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hub-podcasts-4932773/episodes/can-trump-s-tariffs-help-solve-america-s-40-trillion-debt-problem Duration seconds: 1514 ## Resource Trevor Tombe, University of Calgary economist and Hub contributor, breaks down America’s worsening fiscal picture—and why tariffs may be evolving from a trade weapon into a politically palatable form of taxation. He explains why tariff revenue can’t come close to fixing the U.S. federal deficit approaching six percent of GDP, and how the levies can weaken investment, productivity, and economic growth. Tombe also looks at what bond markets are signalling about America’s mounting debt and why the consequences won’t stop at the Canadian border. The Hub is Canada’s fastest-growing independent digital news outlet. Subscribe to our YouTube channel to get our latest videos: https://www.youtube.com/@TheHubCanada Subscribe to The Hub’s podcast feed to get our best content when you are on the go: https://tinyurl.com/3a7zpd7e (Apple)  https://tinyurl.com/y8akmfn7 (Spotify)   Want more Hub? Get a FREE 3-month trial membership on us: https://thehub.ca/free-trial/ Follow The Hub on X: https://x.com/thehubcanada?lang=en   CREDITS: Falice Chin - Host, Producer, and Editor  falice@thehub.ca Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information. ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/hub-podcasts-4932773/episodes/can-trump-s-tariffs-help-solve-america-s-40-trillion-debt-problem/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/hub-podcasts-4932773/can-trump-s-tariffs-help-solve-america-s-40-trillion-debt-problem.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.