Staff Reports
In a recent showdown of tariff proposals, President Joe Biden and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump are going head-to-head, trying to outdo each other with their plans. A few years ago, both parties were wild about free trade, but now they’re singing a different tune.
Biden just suggested raising the import tariff on Chinese steel and aluminum from 7.5% to 25%, claiming that Chinese companies are unfairly flooding global markets with cheap steel, thanks to hefty government subsidies. He’s hoping this move will win over voters worried about safeguarding American manufacturing in key states like Pennsylvania.
On the other side of the ring, Team Trump is calling out Biden, claiming he’s either copying Trump’s ideas or is a plain old hypocrite. They’re also quick to remind everyone that Biden was against Trump’s China tariffs, saying they hurt consumers.
It’s like a game of “who said it first?” as both candidates try to win the hearts of Rust Belt workers in states like Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania. It’s clear that the era of free trade is coming to an end, and tariffs are now all the rage, whether we like it or not.
Biden thinks he’s got the upper hand, arguing that Trump’s proposed 10% across-the-board tariff would stick consumers with a hefty bill. But his opponent and some experts are raising the alarm, warning that broad tariffs could spell trouble similar to the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which made the Great Depression even worse.
In the end, it looks like the battle of the tariffs is heating up, and the American people are caught in the middle. Whether it’s Biden or Trump, it seems like everybody’s suddenly on board with tariffs, even though just a few years ago, free trade was the golden rule.
