Trump's Trade Policy Could Leave the Economy in Tatters
Trade wars are always costly.
Donald Trump is a perpetual danger to every company in America.
Even Larry Kudlow is calling Trump's tariffs a "growth action."
"No one wins in these tit-for-tat trade disputes, least of all the farmers and the consumers."
"Those are traumatic increases. They are shocks to our system," says Mike Schmitt, CEO of The Metalworking Group, an Ohio-based manufacturer.
If China can't fight back economically, it'll fight back with guns.
Be very afraid when Chuck Schumer reaches across the aisle to shower praise on President Trump
A pro-tariff organization projects the best-case scenario for tariffs, and it still ends up looking pretty bad.
"There's not a day on the farm when a farmer doesn't touch steel," says Rep. David Young. And all that steel is about to get more expensive.
Plus: Facebook goes after Trump's social media firm, and Trump tiptoes toward a trade war.
From "bowling ball tests" to tariffs, the president doesn't know what he's talking about. His ignorance grows more dangerous each day.
Hopefully he will be a positive force from his new perch at the White House.
From emulating China to opening up with North Korea, what to do when the president says the damndest things?
On trade, foreign policy, and so much more, he's Clinton, Bush, and Obama without the charm and respect. That can be a good thing.
You cannot advocate trade restrictions without also advocating state-bestowed privilege.
If he believes this economically illiterate nonsense, he shouldn't be trusted to run the Department of Commerce. If he doesn't believe it, neither should you.
A 25 percent tariff on steel and a 10 percent tariff on aluminum will take effect in 15 days, unless GOP lawmakers take unusual steps to stop them.
The benefits of a huge new tariff on steel will be highly concentrated in the steel industry, while the costs will be borne by other parts of the economy.
And the EU's response to the tariffs will whack workers who build motorcycles.
When it comes to trade, the president believes a lot of nonsense.
John Stossel says voluntary, free trade improves lives.
Reason editors dispute presidential notion that "trade wars are good, and easy to win," and also argue over the Oscars.
The proposed tariffs are an exercise in ego, not economics.
President's hasty new "trade war" will damage the American economy while continuing his process of removing tariff-reduction from two-party politics.
And they'll make lots of other things more expensive too.
Tariffs are an unnecessary step that will hurt American manufacturers and increase prices on a wide range of products, from cars to beer cans.
Special economic zones can be anything from tools of crony capitalism to seeds of a freer world order.
Meanwhile, tariffs pile up on products that lots of Americans actually buy.
When anyone says, "I'm for free trade, but it must be fair trade," they are really saying: "I am not for free trade."
The administration pushes harsh protectionist measures at the Montreal NAFTA talks.
The Jones Act drives up consumer prices by protecting U.S. companies from competition. Guess who insists it must be kept intact?
An old federal law demolishes the development of some domestic tourism markets.
Watch Don Boudreaux vs. Rick Manning at the Soho Forum.
The International Trade Commission recommends the president impose hefty tariffs on washing machines.
Donald Trump's protectionist tariffs against Chinese aluminum will double the price of a very widely used product: aluminum foil.
Free trade benefits all participants.
The pact is better without American influence-but now we won't enjoy the benefits.
New Soho Forum debate will be streamed on Facebook Live. Viewers can ask questions, vote on winner!
Without American participation, everyone could end up worse off-particularly Americans.
Protectionist measures hurt American workers and consumers.
The House bill fails to put an end to global income taxation and the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, though the Treasury Dept. may provide some regulatory relief on the latter
Reason's Nick Gillespie talks to libertarian economist Gene Epstein about Trump, free trade, and his monthly debates at the Soho Forum.
Cutting off foreign trade would hurt lots of small towns in the heartland.
Trump is crass and abrasive and toxic? So are the policies he adopted for a base that establishment conservatives cultivated.
Is it just more bluster from the White House? Let's hope so.
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