Nonsensical and Cruel “Reciprocal Tariffs” Diminish America
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Late Thursday, President Trump signed an executive order that will levy punishing tariffs on more than 67 countries starting August 7. Most of these new tariff rates are higher than those announced on April 2. In a separate order, he further villainized Canada and increased the tariff rate to 35% (continuing to exclude USMCA-compliant goods).
Melinda St. Louis, Global Trade Watch Director at Public Citizen, issued the following statement:
“Trump continues to act as ‘Mob Boss-in-Chief’, perverting the concept of “national emergency” to advance his authoritarian power grab.
“Trump is setting escalating tariff rates on a whim as if he were a carnival auctioneer, and for what? Certainly not to help U.S. workers, who won’t benefit from this nonstrategic and chaotic use of tariffs. It’s really just all about power – to force other countries to bend the knee to him and to give in to demands from his Big Tech and other billionaire cronies, often at the expense of American workers and workers in other countries as well.”