It appears that the President is attempting to start a Trade War with China by slapping steep Tariffs on Solar Panels and Washing Machines. Trump says that the tariffs are aimed at protecting American companies from cheap foreign imports. Since he cannot justify starting a real war with some weakling country, I believe he’s using this trade war to divert attention from the fact that the Independent Counsel is now deep inside his administration with the recent interview of the Attorney General.
I think he’s using it as a bargaining chip to try and force the Chinese into doing more about North Korea (and maybe to back off of their expansion into the South China Sea area). He’s been holding various economic things over the Chinese collective head since before he was even elected, and since he was elected he trots them out only to put them away once the Chinese make a concession. He’s doing the same sort of thing with Mexico and Canada and NAFTA. It’s basically his method for doing business…he likes having leverage and showing he has a big stick to hit someone with and uses it to threaten in order to get his way. He thinks he can run the US just like he does one of his businesses or even his personal relationships. I don’t think you need to look for deeper or more convoluted reasons than he’s a dick, acts like a dick, and this is how he does things.
I belief the solar cells are Chinese, and the washers South Korean.
According to the AP the solar cells are mainly Chinese and the washing machines are Mexican. Cite https://apnews.com/5f68ab2a45124b29be5dfbfc474dde73/Trump-hits-solar-panels,-washing-machines-with-tariffs
I think that reasons are not deep too, but I do think that Trump is thinking that he is also killing 2 birds with one stone. So it is not just to get something from China, but also to try to limit the reach of solar power vs his simple minded already chosen winner: coal and oil.
This has been brewing since last fall and now LG and Samsung appliance plants in the US will slow their US hiring.
While this may be good for Solar World, it’s absolute shit for the solar installers. They fought this. Solar World has about 500 employees, while the solar panel installation industry employs thousands. This won’t cause the price of solar panels to go down, they go up and the installers aren’t going to get the install jobs. I know a few that are already being prepared for layoffs.
That is what a local installer said this morning on the local NPR affiliate. His US supplier has sold out of their stock, and he will have to buy Chinese at the tariff rate.
It could simply be that he is keeping one of his campaign promises (and pursuing a policy long advocated by many on this board.)
And the washing machine tariff is for his other chosen winner: rocks by the river?
I didn’t know it was a popular position on the SDMB that there should be a big tax on solar panels.
I believe he is not. Where does that leave us?
So prices are going up on appliances. Great! Stupid Trump.
The first report I heard on NPR said that the tariff was on “industrial washing machines”, which I take to be not household washers, but those that are found in laundromats.
I cannot find a reference to that now.
We should make the Mexicans pay for the washing machines.
The solar panel thing is just a way to give a middle finger to environmentalists.
I don’t see why it matters though. Aren’t solar panels $0.50 a watt now? That would make them $0.65 a watt with a tariff. An extra $0.15 isn’t going to make much difference since solar costs about $3-4 per installed watt.
“Hot on the trail?” Really?
Looks more to me like Mueller has nothing, and is getting desperate. That’s why he’s trying to get Trump to testify under oath- he’s got absolutely nothing to charge Trump with, but MIGHT if Trump is brash and stupid enough to say something false under oath.
(And he certainly IS brash and stupid enough.)
I don’t recall any protectionist rhetoric on the board.
And to the extent that there has been any discussion of trade wars with China, the general response has been “no”, as I recall it.
Mueller is keeping it pretty opaque so both of your opinions seem to me more based on what you probably already thought before it even started.
Agreed. I think it is Astorian and Clu-me-in that have nothing.