Assuming Donald Trump’s social media announcement of tariffs on Canada, China and Mexico was an actual policy plan and not, say, an extortion plan (Trump Hotel rooms, anyone?), the real result will be higher prices and chaos in the American and world economies. The New York Times details just how interdependent our economy is with those three countries and how such tariffs would hike the prices of imported goods for Americans already struggling with inflation, “potentially crippling trade” and causing retaliation. Mexico has already threatened to do just that.
Not that any of that would bother Eric Trump, Daddy or the band of unqualified billionaire bros Daddy wants to install in his cabinet. More likely, they will serve as massive get-richer-quick schemes for the whole clan. As C&L’s Susie Madrak wrote, via Josh Marshall, the tariffs “are likely to be a massive engine of corruption.”
Perhaps worried that Fox viewers might not be thrilled with sharply higher prices, possible job losses and a trade war or worse, that they might recognize the looming Trump scam, Eric Trump went on The Ingraham Angle Monday night to sell it.
Trump sounded almost orgasmic as he crowed about Daddy’s kickbacks tariffs. Totally forgotten was the economic harm to Americans whose pockets will be picked, not lined:
ERIC TRUMP: You want to allow drugs to come through our southern border? We’re going to tariff you. You want to allow them to come through Canada? We’re going to tariff you. China, if you’re going to allow this stuff to get sold in our country, largely produced in China, we’re going to add another 10% to your tariff.
We are going to cost your countries, your economies. We’re going to cost your businesses billions, hundreds of billions of dollars. If you think you’re going to pair, you know, terror, you’re going to poison Americans. It’s not going to happen. You’re not going to destroy our youth, you’re not going to destroy our society. You’re not going to destroy our families. You’re not going to do it. It’s going to cost you. I’m going to put an end to it. Laura, when my father sent that 20 minutes ago, I literally cheered out loud.
Don’t forget: Eric Trump previously claimed his family’s business gave the Secret Service a discount on Trump hotel rooms when, in reality, the family over-charged American taxpayers in order to enrich themselves.
We can only expect more of this.