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Rob Simonds's avatar

Really “…many on the Left, center, and libertarian Right have denounced the idea of any government regulation of trade at all.”? This is a classic straw man formulation. There may be some pure free traders out there. Who are these multitudes? I haven’t run across them during my extensive reading of the issues. Criticisms of Trump’s transitive tariff schemes aren’t coming from a handful of free trade cranks, just as the arguments for tariffs don’t solely rely on the protectionist cranks (cue Peter Navarro).

Economists of all stripes have criticized the falsehoods upon which they are sold to voters (e.g. exporting countries pay the tariffs). The unbounded nature of the tariffs and the use of the IEEPA (ruled unconstitutional so far) are reasons enough to criticize the scheme. These are the most onerous tariffs since Smoot-Hawley; also fertile ground for criticizing the administration without falling in the “no industrial policy…ever” camp. And there’s plenty of debate to be joined about the real world economic consequences of the U.S. trade deficits (no Mr. President, manufacturing hasn’t been hollowed out).

If this is the best the pro-Trump tariffs group can do, well it’s a cheap rhetorical trip, but a transparent one at that.

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