China announces tariffs on 128 commodities

[John Q. Public]

But it's obvious all the previous presidents were unable to correct the wrongs in the trade balance.

Could be that they had better things to do than economic parlor tricks.

[Fordama]

They may be right. But it's obvious all the previous presidents were unable to correct the wrongs in the trade balance. .

Yes, because Americans have been dying to pay more for consumer goods. That's why WalMart has almost gone out of business several times over the years--people were holding out for higher prices.

[Wabash]

With the loss of market share being cause by his tariffs, should we be prepared that welfare for farmers becomes permanent? Should the farmers be drug tested before receiving welfare?

[Wabash]

More socialism.

From the WaPo.

Trump has repeatedly said he would protect American farmers in the trade war, last week setting aside $12 billion to help them, but he is facing pressure to extend aid to other industries if the tariffs remain in place or get extended to more products.

Extending those bailouts would be an expensive proposition. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Monday estimated the total price tag could hit $39 billion if Trump compensated the losses across all industries. It would take $7.6 billion to help car and automobile parts manufacturers alone, the Chamber said, calling it a “slippery slope” for Trump to determine who gets help and who doesn’t. The Chamber has been a vocal critic of the tariffs.

Critics of Trump’s trade policy are calling on him to de-escalate the trade war rather than try to bail out the businesses hurt by it. But if the trade fight continues and the midterm elections draw near, the White House stands to face pressure, including from Republicans, to extend more government aid.