Tough U.S. Sanctions Packages Are Here to Stay—Whether It’s Harris or Trump

Trump has touted his supposed special relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and his views on the country differ substantially from most of the Democratic Party leadership as well as some in his own Republican Party. He may be more willing than Harris to offer sanctions relief in exchange for concessions that could bring the Ukraine war to an end, said Emily Kilcrease, a former senior staffer in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative who now researches geoeconomic statecraft as a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.

Broadly speaking, though, Trump in his time in the Oval Office ratcheted up the use of sanctions and similar tools, particularly targeting China.

“Certainly, there was a comfort under the Trump administration in using sanctions pretty extensively,” Kilcrease said.

Unlike, for example, President Barack Obama, the next president will inherit the fruits of dramatically expanded multilateral cooperation among the U.S. and its allies. The U.S., in seeking support for its efforts to hem in Russia, marshaled allies in the U.K., Europe and elsewhere, including Japan and Canada.

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Unlike, for example, export controls already in place to deny certain goods to China’s military and thwart its artificial intelligence ambitions or tariffs on Chinese-made goods, wide-scale sanctions meant to disrupt its economy are widely seen as a last resort, given the degree of U.S.-China entanglement.

“The U.S. is not going to do really drastic moves, like sanctioning major Chinese banks or [China’s central bank], unless there’s an active military conflict,” said Kilcrease.

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