Harley, of course, announced that it would move some manufacturing to Europe, because it couldn’t eat the tariffs imposed by the EU, which were in direct response to Trump’s tariffs on European steel and aluminum.
As also noted by Banquet Bear, our president is fucking nuts.
What did he think would happen? Was he thinking that European countries, in response to American tariffs, would open American plants, employing good old American citizens, thus WINNING? He clearly didn’t expect the EU to say yeah, here’s some tariffs for you, so what did he think the response would be?
It seems like Trump thinks the job of the Fed is to cut interest rates and get him reelected. That’s why he proposed incompetents like Stephan Moore and Herman Cain to the board. Cain withdrew and Moore is a misogynist. Only the best people!
Nah, he thought (using the term loosely) that European countries wouldn’t do anything, European firms would merrily pay the tariffs, and trans-Atlantic companies would never shuffle production from a factory to another in a way which avoids certain tariffs.
Dude doesn’t even understand how construction works and that was supposed to be his business. Anything related to manufacturing doesn’t so much go over his head as directly where his momma split him.
I thought Republicans were all about the free market, not using the power of government to influence our purchasing choices. Government interference!!! Let the market decide which goods are bought.
And, a tariff is basically a tax on the domestic importer. I thought Republicans are against more taxes. Looks like Trump loves more taxes.
And your comment doesn’t address the fact that Trump thinks foreign countries pay the tariffs.
Right, that’s as far as Trump’s thinking goes. He doesn’t seem to realize:
Tariffs cause other countries to retaliate with their own tariffs on American goods, thus hurting American businesses.
Tariffs hurt American manufacturers who rely on imported materials and parts. And they can’t just switch to American suppliers because, in modern times, all materials are highly specialized. You don’t just buy “steel,” for example - there are literally thousands of types of steel, and they come in thousands of different shapes, sizes, etc. And you can’t easily change your product design to use American-made parts.
Tariffs hurt American consumers, because less supply = higher prices.
In case you haven’t been paying attention over the past, uuuuh, 40 years or so ? there’s nothing being “Made in the USA” any more. Just like every other first world country, y’all have outsourced the “making shit” to Asia. Or, as The Wire put it…
Trump doesn’t think. In his hamster-wheel-powered brain, trade wars are “easy to win”.