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Are Trump’s Proposed Tariffs Real?
Or have they morphed into a face saving trick?
As everyone reading this knows, Trump has threatened tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China. These tariffs would increase the cost of products produced in those countries and shipped to the US, including oil, lumber, plastics, textiles, clothing, auto parts, computer chips and food.
Trump began talking about tariffs decades ago, promoting them as a means to reduce the US trade deficit and reduce the flow of jobs to other countries.
After Trump announced he would seek re-election to the presidency and especially after he was elected, much of the media immediately began to warn people that these tariffs would greatly increase what the average US household spends purchasing goods and could significantly damage the economy.
Trump then did a sleight of hand trick. He completely changed how he talked about tariffs. His tariffs against Canada and Mexico are now no longer designed to protect the US economy, but are now magically meant to stop the flow of illegal immigrants and drugs into the US.
Of course, this was the only pathway available to someone who seeks power and doesn’t care about personal truthfulness. He campaigned on the promise that he would use tariffs to drastically improve the US economy — a…
