Trump admitted that there is going to be a trade war and that it is going to hurt the American people in a radio interview, but he also happily proclaimed that a trade war would make the US stronger.
Video:
Trump happily admits that his trade war is going to hurt the American people. https://t.co/lxvy169DsW pic.twitter.com/09uv2cWFXW
— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 6, 2018
To get more stories like this, subscribe to our newsletter The Daily.
First, Trump blamed all previous recent presidents for his trade war, “We don’t have a trade war. We’ve lost a trade war because for many years, whether it is Clinton or the Bushes or Obama, all of our presidents before have for some reason it just got worse and worse.”
Later, in the WABC interview, Trump admitted that the trade war will hurt the American people, “So I’m not saying there won’t be a little pain. But the market’s gone up 40%, 42%. So we might lose a little bit of but we’re going to have a much stronger country when we are finished and that’s what I’m all about. We have to do things that other people wouldn’t do. So we may take a hit and you know what? Ultimately we’re going to be much stronger for it. But it is something we had to do.”
There is no reason for a trade war besides Trump’s desperate need for something that he can call a political win. Just the threat of a trade war with China is damaging the US economy. It wasn’t Obama, the Bushes, or Clinton who lost on trade. It is Trump who is currently losing on trade. The Chinese are prepared to unleash tariffs on US products that will hit red states who voted for Trump hard.
Trump doesn’t care if the trade war hurts the people who voted for him, because he never cared about them. Trump could make sure that these people don’t feel pain. Instead, he is happy to inflict hardship upon them because he thinks that it will lead to a “win” for him. Trump will lose any trade war that he fights because it will be the American people who pay for his decisions.
For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
