The Globe and Mail reports in its Saturday edition that President Donald Trump wants to lower U.S. home prices, but his trade policies are continually making that harder to achieve. The Globe's Olivia Grandy writes that during his second term, Mr. Trump has imposed tariffs on a slew of materials and products used in the construction, renovation and furnishing of homes. Just this week, he proposed 50-per-cent duties on $20-billion (U.S.) worth of Canadian products, including plywood, doors and cement, set to take effect on Aug. 19. Combined with existing tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber, the White House is making it considerably more expensive to build and maintain a home, at a time of already waning affordability. And it goes beyond trade policy: The recent flare-up of violence in the U.S.-Iran war is putting pressure on the bond market, adding to borrowing costs for American home buyers. In 2024, 75 per cent of softwood lumber imports in the U.S. came from Canada, a Royal Bank report said. And softwood lumber comprises roughly 8 per cent of a new home's construction value in the U.S. That wood is now much more expensive. The U.S. has imposed duties of more than 45 per cent on most Canadian softwood producers.