May 13, 2019

Trump’s confusion over trade policy reaches an unsettling new level

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-confusion-over-trade-policy-reaches-unsettling-new-level?fbclid=IwAR3Y8-L84HGeOiGotWh-7Z3YWJppdsKzBbHrhWC8wTT5Y6EPhzKxl_hON4g
"Donald Trump recently boasted, in reference to trade policy, “I understand that issue better than anybody.” He later added, “I know every ingredient. I know every stat. I know it better than anybody knows it.” I realize that the president has a bizarre habit of assuming that he’s an expert in every subject, but his insistence that he’s a world-class authority on trade policy is hopelessly bonkers. Trump started the week with new trade threats directed at China, predicated on the false idea Beijing has been pouring money into the U.S. treasury thanks to his tariff policy. The Republican added soon after that tariffs are contributing to stronger domestic economic growth, which isn’t even close to being true. At his campaign rally in Florida, Trump continued to get the details of his own trade agenda wrong, and at a White House event yesterday, he argued with great confidence that Americans aren’t paying more as a result of his tariffs, which is the exact opposite of the truth."