After delivering another misguided attack on free trade today in Manchester, New Hampshire, Donald Trump has clearly positioned himself as the protectionist candidate for president. Over the course of his talk, Mr. Trump laid out his vision for the future of trade in the United States, the crux of which is to back out of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP), a free trade agreement with 12 Pacific Rim nations which is currently pending in Congress; renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, and if they refuse, withdraw the United States from the agreement; and to direct the United States Treasury to label China a currency manipulator.
Though these proposals might make for good campaign rhetoric, they are incredibly irresponsible coming from a presumptive nominee of one of the two major political parties. National Taxpayers Union (NTU) will continue to make the case for free trade and oppose all efforts to impose higher taxes on American families and businesses.
“What Mr. Trump said today in New Hampshire about free trade ought to concern all taxpayers,” said NTU Executive Vice President Brandon Arnold. “Tariffs are taxes on imports. By threatening to impose tariffs on Mexico and China, Mr. Trump is proposing huge new taxes on American families and businesses. Even worse, he raised the possibility of a trade war with these nations that would only hurt American families and businesses by eliminating millions of jobs.”
NTU has weighed in on Mr. Trump’s recent protectionist proposals here and here.