Trump likely wouldn’t need Congress to approve his tariffs proposals From CNN's Matt Egan

 It’s easy to dismiss many presidential candidates’ campaign promises as empty, because Congress would need to approve them.

Tariffs are different.

Presidents have vast powers to lob tariffs on friends and foes, as former President Donald Trump demonstrated when he waged a trade war starting in 2018. That’s why some experts are alarmed and baffled by Trump’s latest threat to use his favorite economic weapon.

During a rally in battleground Wisconsin last weekend, Trump vowed to impose staggering tariffs on countries that snub the US dollar.

“Many countries are leaving the dollar. They are not going to leave the dollar with me,” Trump said. “I’ll say, ‘You leave the dollar, you’re not doing business with the United States because we’re going to put a 100% tariff on your goods.”

The US dollar remains the world’s reserve currency – essentially a super currency that helps international trade flow and the global economy to function. But Trump’s threat appears to be in response to China, Russia and other countries that have made noise about finding an alternative to the greenback.

Taking a hardline on protecting the almighty dollar might sound good on the campaign trail, but experts warn that such a massive tariff would likely backfire on the American people