With today’s 90-day delay of most tariffs, let’s not forget about the 25% on cars and steel and aluminum, and the whopping 125% on China. One has to wonder, is Trump all there? I mean, there was no plan in place, not even within his own administration, as they were giving different rationales on the Sunday talk shows.
In a surprising turn of events, Trump took to his favorite social media platform to announce that he is graciously reducing tariffs on all countries to a mere 10% for the next 90 days. This comes after his previous misleading descriptions of tariffs as “reciprocal.” However, China will now face a staggering 125% tariff on their exports to the U.S. Get ready to pay more at Walmart, Target and the like.
Countries that exported more to the United States than they imported from American manufacturers were hit with tariffs higher than the 10% baseline. This disproportionately affected poorer countries, whose citizens cannot afford to purchase American goods. For example, Vietnam faced a “reciprocal” tariff of 46%, while Lesotho, a country Trump claimed to have never heard of, was slapped with a 50% tariff.
The high tariff rate on Chinese goods may come as a shock to Americans accustomed to purchasing cheap household items made there. A T-shirt that once cost $9.99 at Walmart will now likely be priced at over $20. Let’s not forget the MAGA hats that are made in China, well that will also more than double.
Now, Trump claims he will negotiate with 75 countries. Is he really willing to give up his weekly golf games for this? How long will this charade last? Given the track record of this administration incompetence that’s not a promising game plan.
In the end, prices will inevitably rise as China shows no signs of backing down. And if the tariffs are lowered, where is the revenue that Trump promised they would bring in? Oh, the mysteries of Trump’s trade policies. He has lost it.
It appears this is just another scatter brain idea Trump didn’t think out.
Blue Press Journal 
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