An easy explanation of this tariff tiff: This is NOT a repeat of Smoot-Hawley.

American Thinker ^ | 04/06/2025 | Carl Henry

[SeekAndFind]

Protectionist tariffs typically help one specific industry when a country is dumping products into our country because it costs less for the other country to make it than it does for American manufacturers to make it. These are the type of tariffs people think of when they threaten a repeat of Smoot-Hawley.

President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs are very different from protectionist tariffs. According to the fundamental definition, “reciprocal” means doing an equal thing back. In this sense, the protectionist tariffs President Trump is responding to were levied first by another country on US goods.

The United States is not initiating protectionist tariffs but is responding to protectionist tariffs levied against us. Currently, the US reciprocal tariffs have only been levied at half of what we are being tariffed (on countries that tariff us over 10%), so we are not even close to reciprocating in an equal way yet.

Let’s consider a tariff against you and the results if it is not responded to equally.

If you found out that your boss was taking 50% of your paycheck and giving it to the worker at the desk beside you and had been doing this for decades, wouldn’t you want that to end? Even if “just” 10% were being taken from you over your working lifetime, that would be a lot. (Using an average lifetime salary of $50,000 per year x 10% x 40 years of work = $200,000.)

Now, what if that person to whom the boss is giving “just” 10% of your check saved up some of your money and then went into business with a relative to provide the food you must pay for at the company cafeteria every day at work? (We’re assuming that your workplace is a bit remote...)

[SeekAndFind]

Based on this example...

You are paying that working a second time after he already got 10% of your salary for years—and adding insult to injury, that 10% is what funded the cafeteria he’s now charging you to use.

Maybe this tariff tiff is just about getting ripped off...twice. However, the beneficial side effect is that US manufacturers will produce more of their own stuff for America and create jobs for their own country instead of giving money away to other countries and creating jobs and wealth for other countries.

[Jane Long]

FAIR Trade.

[ridesthemiles]

THE COMPLETE IMPLOSION OF AMERICAN EDUCATION IS BEING SHOWN BY THESE PROTESTS.

[silent majority rising]

This reporter gets it...

[Vermont Lt]

American Thinker is not made of reporters. It is a bunch of bloggers. As you read their stuff, you should always be thinking about checking sources.

[joesbucks]

Crossing my fingers.

[Lowell1775]

Bkmrk

[SaveFerris]

Bookmark 🔖

[MayflowerMadam]

Last week I watched an interview where the Democrat “expert” pompously referring to Smoot-HALSEY.

[Drago]

Except there are many countries on “the list” (every country is on “the list” except Mexico & Canada because they are covered by PDJT’s “USMCA” trade treaty) that had NO tariffs on USA products. The admin used a “formula” to arrive at the tariff imposed. Quite a lot make no sense like Costa Rica...no tariff on USA goods but they have a big trade surplus with the US due to banana and coffee exports therefore they get slapped with a 10% tariff because of the “formula”. USA climate will not support “bring back the banana and coffee jobs to America”. Consequently Americans see a price increase in coffee and bananas.

https://www.trade.gov/country-commercial-guides/costa-rica-import-tariffs

[NoLibZone]

When Smoot-Hawley was enacted the US was a trade surplus nation.

Only a trade surplus nation can lose a trade war

[Herakles]

Ever consider that the genius AIs the big banks are using are f’ing up, remember the new kids do not remember ‘87 and how compter selling got into an endless short selling loop to the downside. I remember IBM About half book value that day!

[trebb]

Yep - the other day, Fox had a story about how Toyota manufactures more of the cars they sell in the US, in the US, than GM does...these days, “Buy American” is more appropriate when talking Toyota than GM...

[silent majority rising]

Thanks for the advice. So essentially, they are an aggregator of editorial opinions, not reporting.

[DesertRhino]

“Costa Rica...no tariff on USA goods but they have a big trade surplus with the US due to banana and coffee exports therefore they get slapped with a 10% tariff because of the “formula”. USA climate will not support “bring back the banana and coffee jobs to America”. ”

Baloney. Cute to say banana and coffee jobs aren’t coming back. All of our pineapple came from Hawaii until the globalists moved it to Costa Rica and the Philippines.