Friday on CNN’s, “Legal View,” policy adviser to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and economist Peter Navarro and said, “Trump doesn’t want to slap tariffs on anybody.”
Navarro said, “The Donald Trump campaign really sees the trade deficit as the fulcrum around which this economy can recover. The Trump trade doctrine is straight forward. He’s not going to enter into any trade deals unless it increases the gross domestic product growth rate, or decreases the trade deficit and strengthens the manufacturing basis. And so Hillary Clinton, you take her at 2012, South Korean Free Trade agreement, the quintessential Clinton deal, right? She promises us 70,000 new jobs, we winded up with an over doubling of the South Korean trade deficit. We lose 75,000 jobs. Bill does the same thing with the WTO in China in 2001.”
When asked if trade is the them song for the Trump campaign he continued, “Trade is the theme. The Trump trade doctrine…We’re free traders, make no mistake about that. Ronald Reagan put tariffs on the semiconductors because they cheated. Trump will put tariffs on those that cheat. He wants fair trade deals. Basically again the Trump trade doctrine, allow our GDP growth to grow, push the trade down, strengthen the manufacturing basis.”
Navarro said, “First of all, one of the problems with Mexico is the differential tax treatment under the World Trade Organization. Basically, Mexico can repay the back tax, you don’t hand him that with tariffs. You hand him that with a renegotiation of the tax part of the WTO. The second thing is Donald Trump doesn’t want to slap tariffs on anybody. Ronald Reagan didn’t want to slap tariffs on anybody, but if they cheat us, he will do that. It’s a negotiating tool. You have to understand the philosophy of the Donald Trump campaign and administration is to cut smart and good deals for the American people and Hillary Clinton hasn’t done that yet. You have NAFTA, WTO and South Korean Free Trade Agreement as the three worst trade deals in American history. She can spin all she wants about wanting good trade deals. The fact of the matter, she has a history. Every time she’s negotiated one, it’s been a bad trade deal.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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