The Trump administration’s enthusiasm for economic sanctions has been reflected in their equally passionate embrace of trade tariffs. Both foreign policy tools have been used to excess well beyond the practices of past administrations. Even most notable is the unprecedented re-purposing of trade tariffs as economic sanctions. Rather than using tariffs as intended by statute to adjust conditions for imports in response to unfair practices with trade partners, the Trump administration has threatened and imposed tariffs to pressure countries to change policies they oppose – the exact rationale behind the use of economic sanctions. The use of trade tariffs as economic sanctions raises important questions about the legitimacy and effectiveness of such a practice.