Trump gets all the blame and NONE of the CREDIT. Figures.
This tariff was no big deal really. I built a steel barn in the midst of it last fall. The price of steel did nothing to change my plans. It was an increase but not enough to delay what I wanted to do.
All the wailing was much ado about nothing. Probably much like the chicom mess right now.
In some cases the tariffs were downright idiotic. Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey railed against them because they completely undermined manufacturers in his own state -- many of which import steel and aluminum from Canada and then export finished products like railroad equipment and aircraft parts back north.
Trust me, the steel tariffs hit industry hard and caused a perceptible dip in manufacturing output this spring. I work in metal fabrication and my price quotes were only good for 24-hours and the mills reserved the right to jack the price on you unilaterally at the time of order. Can’t engage in commerce that way. Everything slowed down. Aluminum was the worst. Stainless steels were pretty bad too.
Steel building suppliers are sitting on mountains of cheap roll-formed carbon steel. They are more likely to keep prices low just to move inventory. A lot of their material is recycled scrap. Low-grade stuff like ASTM A36.