Robert Johnson
Department of Economics
Brian and Jeannelle Brady Associate Professor
- International economies
- International trade and macroeconomics
- Global value chains and trade policy
- Tariffs
Johnson’s Latest News
Johnson in the News
FactCheck
Trump’s Selective Comparison Overstates Trade Deficit Decline
March 16, 2026
“The monthly trade balance has been unusually volatile this year, so I would be cautious about drawing conclusions from the data so far,” Robert Johnson, an international economist and associate economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, told us in an email.
Marketplace
Tariffs can reduce inflation, but it's a double-edged sword
Audio
March 16, 2026
“I will say that I actually don’t find it that surprising,” said Robert Johnson, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame who’s also studied how tariffs can reduce inflation. Johnson said it’s not just uncertainty — the President’s trade policies are sending a message.
The Guardian
How Nintendo dodged Trump’s tariffs and saved the Switch 2 release
June 05, 2025
“What saved Nintendo in this case was that Trump chickened out,” Notre Dame professor and international economist Robert Johnson said.
Newsweek
Republicans Want Tesla Owners to Pay $250 Each Towards Trump's Tax Bill
May 02, 2025
However, Robert Johnson, a professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, said that it would be possible for Tesla to improve its standing in the market due to its reliance on assembly in the U.S., telling Newsweek: "Tesla is well positioned to capitalize on the potential damage the tariffs may cause to its competitors."
Marketplace
Services make up more than two thirds of the U.S. economy. Here's how tariffs could affect them.
April 24, 2025
Services like these are not directly subject to retaliatory tariffs right now, said Robert Johnson, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame. But he said the services sector will be indirectly affected by retaliatory tariffs on goods, because goods producers rely on the services sector.
Expresso | Portuguese
US and China increasingly irreconcilable: realistic expectation of agreement is tenuous
April 24, 2025
On the other side of the Atlantic, the American Robert Johnson believes that “the relationship is increasingly antagonistic.” This professor of international economics at the University of Notre Dame, in Indiana, says that trade between the US and China has plunged “into a business model that is no longer profitable” with tariffs (customs duties) of 145% on the American side and 125% on the Chinese side.
Associated Press
FACT FOCUS: Trump exaggerates revenue from tariffs
April 21, 2025
“It’s almost certainly the case we’re collecting less than that,” said Robert Johnson, an associate professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, of Trump’s $2 billion per day figure.
FactCheck
Trump Expands on Dubious Daily Tariff Revenue Claim
April 18, 2025
“My best guess would be that Trump is probably conflating different concepts,” Robert C. Johnson, an associate professor of economics at the University of Notre Dame, told us.
OSV News
Religious goods retailers wary as they navigate uncertain tariffs
April 14, 2025
Along with products’ various countries of origin, “there’s a chain of people involved in importing goods,” said Robert C. Johnson, an international economist and associate professor at the University of Notre Dame.
Newsweek
Donald Trump Tariff Results Could Take Years To Show
April 08, 2025
Robert Johnson, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, told Newsweek it typically takes a long time to assess the full impact of changes in trade policy, and he doesn't expect quick answers on this "very large policy change."
The Christian Science Monitor
What do tariffs mean for carmaking and US communities? Clues from one Georgia town.
April 08, 2025
“Tariffs have redistributional effects,” says Robert Johnson, an international economist who teaches at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. “But who are the winners and losers?” he asks.
phys.org
Research weighs question of how the US should engage with other countries when it comes to tariffs and trade
April 02, 2025
To make sense of these policy changes, Robert Johnson, the Brian and Jeannelle Brady Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, explained how tariffs affect global economies and what this means for U.S. engagement in global trade.
Marketplace
The upside of the trade deficit: More foreign investment in the U.S.
March 28, 2025
“One option is you can export to pay for your imports. The other option is that you can borrow to pay for your imports,” said Robert Johnson, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame.