Posted on 04/16/2025 10:24:25 AM PDT by FreedomNotSafety
WSJ policy on excerpting. But these are quotations made by Trump President Trump is actively considering at least 15 trade proposals with countries, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Last week, the Trump administration announced a 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs to allow time to negotiate deals with nations. “He has made clear, he wants to personally sign off on all of these deals,” Leavitt said. “There’s a lot of work to do, we do believe we can announce some deals very soon.” She did not say which nations were close to reaching a deal with the Trump administration.
What will be the provisions of such deals? Let’s hope the United States advocates the position that Mr. Trump brilliantly advanced at the 2018 Group of Seven summit in Charlevoix, Quebec. Here’s an excerpt from his closing press conference: Q Mr. President, you said that this was a positive meeting, but from the outside, it seemed quite contentious. Did you get any indication from your interlocutors that they were going to make any concessions to you? And I believe that you raised the idea of a tariff-free G7. Is that — TRUMP: I did. Oh, I did. That’s the way it should be. No tariffs, no barriers. That’s the way it should be. How did it go down? TRUMP: And no subsidies. I even said no tariffs… We don’t want to pay anything. Why should we pay? We have to — ultimately, that’s what you want. You want a tariff-free [sic], you want no barriers, and you want no subsidies, because you have some cases where countries are subsidizing industries, and that’s not fair. So you go tariff-free, you go barrier-free, you go subsidy-free. That’s the way you learned at the Wharton School of Finance. I mean, that would be the ultimate thing. Now, whether or not that works — but I did suggest it, and people were — I guess, they got to go back to the drawing and check it out, right? Sadly for the world the other heads of state did not jump at the chance to enable free trade. But the president was surely speaking for all the world’s consumers in asking why we should pay. Mr. Trump continued:
Does MAGA agree with Trump?
Link to full WSJ article. Excellent work by Freeman.
https://www.wsj.com/opinion/vintage-trump-7a309477
I’m a free trader. Like Trump, my idea of free trade means the other countries don’t have tariffs or other trade restrictions on us. Others before Trump says “free trade” but really mean they’re cool with one-sided tariffs against the U.S.
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If tax cuts and incentives to “buy American” are not passed by the back stabbing RINOS my business is screwed. I know it will make lots happy that I can’t afford tariffs on imported materials and supplies but it doesn’t make me very happy. I’m not talking China. Nearly everything I use for manufacturing has an international supply chain. If I can pass the higher costs to the customers big whoop. Now I pay the same taxes AND absorb a tariff to enrich out of control government spending.
The idea of a world trade order ruled purely by comparative advantage is antithetical to the continuity of nation states. It is the ultimate in globalism. It sure as hell isn't MAGA.
Nations exist to secure their cultures. If they cannot continue without depending upon potential adversaries for existence, that is not an independent nation. What is to secure that trade order? Who guarantees safe passage without putting the lives and treasure of their own futures at risk? The people of nations have a right to determine the level of risk they would accept.
That's what's wrong with Hayek and Von Mises' reasoning; it cannot account for an uneven distribution of the externalities of risk.
That is a very interesting insight.
As far as I can tell, the 10% blanket tariffs should stay because they are not “reciprocal” in intent or design.
Maybe this is an easier question: What are you conditions for trade?
How about no child labor or forced labor?
Also no imports for things which we already produce here at home.
And no imports which were produced from stolen or copied IP/trademarks/
Is that it?
Is that it? Three things two of which are already illegal. You have any more?
I asked if zero tariffs, zero subsidies, and zero nontariff barriers was enough to satisfy FairTraders. You answered with three other reasons. Seems you can’t think of anymore than three of which two are already illegal. The burden is on you. I have already stated my thoughts. You cannot seem to defend yours.
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