Most of these skirmishes do not end up in a successful hijacking - but when it does, it pays.

The ripple effects of trade skirmishes could lead to higher inflation and higher interest rates, risking a pullback from investors and sliding stock markets.

Jock O’Connell, a California trade specialist at Beacon Economics, said the Trumpov administration’s trade skirmishes with China in 2017 caused a dramatic falloff in the state’s trade volume.

He revisited those skirmishes in the days after the 2024 election, announcing a special session of the Legislature to prepare for potential Republican-led attacks on abortion rights, environmental protections and disaster funding.

Her phone often glows with backbiting messages from Republican factions going after one another, notably in a recent intraparty skirmish over the appointment of a district clerk, which led to name-calling and a lawsuit.