In his State of the Union address, Trump is likely to claim that his strategy balanced trade policy. But the state of the trade war indicates otherwise.
In the State of the Union on Tuesday, President Donald Trump is expected to address his use of tariffs, which have unleashed a devastating trade war with China, targeting a total of $360 billion worth of goods between the two countries. In his 2018 address, Trump called for „trading relationships to be fair and to be reciprocal,“ promising that Americans would finally get theirs. Instead, Trump’s desire to end intellectual property theft and reduce the trade deficit with China has harmed United States businesses and angered Midwestern farmers, traditionally a Trump stronghold.
This year, when the president takes the floor in the House Chamber, a group of farmers will be listening closely. Tom Mueller, a family farmer from Edgington, Illinois, was invited by Representative Cheri Bustos (D-Illinois). „The reckless trade policies coming from the White House seriously threaten the future of family farms like mine,“ he said in a statement Monday. „I’m afraid the president’s trade war has lost markets for us long-term.“
Others will join on Wednesday: A coalition of more than 100 farmers, retailers, and manufacturers will call for congressional oversight on tariffs and an end to the trade war, Politico reports. The group’s spokesman, former Congressman Charles Boustany, has called the tariffs „crippling“ for the industry.
Trade negotiators are now up against a March 2nd deadline, when U. S. tariffs on Chinese goods would increase, a move that economists predict could do even more damage. In his address on Tuesday, Trump is likely to claim that his aggressive strategy has already benefited trade policy, the New York Times reports.
