The Anti-Trump Hysteria of the Media is Bewildering Sometimes

There's a big article in The Atlantic today by its so-called economic policy editor under this headline:

Does Trump Even Understand How Tariffs Work?

It’s unclear what the president wants to accomplish with his trade war.

 

It's a rather bizarre headline given the substance of the article.  The editor goes on and on about how the President doesn't know what he is doing with China and particularly with tariffs.  Then, deep in the article, the editor lists the state aims of the White House with regard to trade policy with China, in particular tariffs.  So after charging at length that the President has not made clear what he wants to accomplish with the "trade war", the article lists exactly what the President has said he wants to accomplish.  It's a rather remarkable display of delusional thinking.

 

And as for the claim that the President doesn't understand how tariffs work, the editor just derides Trump for using a 19th century tool to attack a 21st century problem.  That's most likely a focus grouped attack that sounds ok but makes no sense.  Think of it this way.  The fires in California, we are told by the left, are a product of a 21st century problem:  global warming.  Forgetting for the moment if that is true (which it is not), the fire fighters used water from hoses and planes to douse the flames.  That's using a 19th and a 20th century set of tools to attack a 21st century problem.  They used those tools because they work.  Tariffs have been around a long time; that is true.  The problem is that the "experts" who deride tariffs as a 19th century tool, never state what the 21st century replacement would be.

 

Remember, we have signed a new agreement with Canada and Mexico which is a great improvement over NAFTA.  The threat of tariffs was a driving force to get Canada and Mexico to agree to the improved agreement.  China is negotiating a series of deals with the USA in exchange for our forbearance in increasing the tariffs from 10% to 25%.  In other words, the use of tariffs and threats of tariffs is working.

 

I understand that the left wing media hates the President in an hysterical fashion.  It's bewildering, though, that people who should understand what is happening are driven by that hysteria to make charges that they know to be untrue.