This is patently false. Either Trump doesn't understand basic economics or he's lying. No matter what he says, tariffs aren't paid by the other country. They're paid by you. In 2019, the
Trump administration doled out billions in "free" money to farmers who could no longer sell their goods to China due to their retaliatory strike in buying American agriculture due to Trump's tariffs. I believe this is what MAGA calls "Socialism."
He isn't incorrect either. I've reiterated this many times on here and I presume you have read it at least once.
First, let's not pretend that tariffs are new or unique to America. EVERY nation has tariffs and American companies who manufacture in America pay this price when they export to Europe, China and even Canada. These same leaders who told you "tariffs just hurt their own consumers" apply tariffs quite liberally.
There is no law that says that American corporations have to manufacture overseas unless there is one you can direct me to.
Thus, if a company chooses to manufacture in China, they will pay a tariff when they ship these products into America. What they choose to do with that tariff is up to them. They can eat the tariff or pass it on to consumers. Consumers may then decide that local products cost less due to not having to pay this tariff.
Let's look at this further, China has been unfairly suppressing the value of their Yuan to take U.S jobs. They don't have a floating currency, they control it. So Western nations are at a disadvantage when trying to compete for manufacturing jobs in local markets.
The E,U has hit China with up to 35% tariffs on their EVs, is anyone in America upset about this? It is quite popular in Europe.
The playing field isn't level. Foreign nations are allowing little regulations on pollution, they use near to actual slave labour and they hit American companies with tariffs.
Trump should hit these same nations in kind since they rig the system. Some U.S companies will dislike it because they don't care about an expanding the American Middle Class and what this means for Americas national security, they just want easy profits, through currency arbitrage or worse. A weakened U.S Middle Class coupled with massive debt spells danger for world peace.
Here is the clearest example and I remember it well as the rest of the G7 were angry at Trump for threatening tariffs. It was caught on video, he said to them all bluntly, I paraphrase, "I will agree today to eliminate all tariffs and subsidies to domestic countries if all of you will as well, how about it"? Every leader stayed silent, shocked at his bold proposal. Not one of them taking him up on the offer. I remember the look the former PM of Japan had (RIP), he looked at Trump as if to say "well played bro, well played".
America needs to win. All nations will have their specializations and products to offer, America is funding world peace and has for nearly a century. Yet, these other nations don't believe they should have to pay their fair share. America is just returning the favor.
