Why does nobody on Earth call Trump out for lying about how tariffs work?

https://www.barrons.com/articles/trump-tariffs-china-inflation-prices-trade-1103be7f

Lots of people call him out, I hear about this all the time. And if he overdoes it and they lead to disaster then I guess we'll learn the hard way. Obviously there's a contingency that will never blame him for anything but we're living in narrowly divided times so if you deliver a disaster then it's likely you'll lose the majority.

You mean, it worked well at taxing Americans.

Trump 2017: Lower Corporate Taxes from 35% to 21%.
Trump 2024: Increase Consumer Taxes 25% to 35% through tariffs.

You voted for this.

Everyone knows how tariffs work. The point is to make it harder for American companies to do business with foreign suppliers. This will hurt those foreign economies and lead to more American manufacturing. Also fewer drug dealers and gang bangers.

Ah. The hyperbole of “anyone on EARTH.”

You may have heard no one calling him out. I have. Numerous times. With some reasonable frequency at the moments his claims about tariffs make the news.

And you suggest the absence of calling out his lies is what makes people believe him. How about this instead? Even if we see a major increase in number of people in media issuing corrections on his tariff lies, a very high percent of the U.S. population will get their information only from sources that do not do this.

Trump was a known liar and shady character long before he entered politics. His lies became so voluminous when he campaigned for the presidency that media fact-checkers struggled to keep up. Yet they called out his many, many lies and demonstrated that even among politicians, he lies way more than anyone else.

The result of this fact-checking and reporting? A significant percent of Americans have said they trust him more than the media, other politicians, and members of their own family.

I agree that lies should be called out, but I have no idea how you’re arriving at your take.

Surely you’re joking, Mr. feynman.

You dont know how tariffs work. tariffs are taxes on certain goods or resources that come INTO the country.

For example, taxing on imported steel. If china is flooding the US with cheap steel, then US companies will use Chinese steel to build things. Tariff steel and US companies are encouraged to use steel made in the US because it would be cheaper.

This would strengthen the US steel business and make us less reliant on China, a country that is becoming further and further from an ally. Do you want the supply of steel to be dependent on a country who is on the verge of starting war with you? Just one example.

You specifically, know how tariffs work the same way you know how chess pieces work.

LOL. When costs go up, they are cheaper?

This explains why prices are so high.

cheaper than buying Chinese steel. This will encourage the growth of US companies and give Americans meaningful jobs that will help communities where manufacturing jobs have disappeared. This reduces poverty in areas such as the rust belt where there are no jobs and people are just rotting away with homelessness and fentanyl.

A tariff is a tax imposed by one country on the goods and services imported from another country to influence it, raise revenues, or protect competitive advantages.

When the cost of steel gets more expensive, the finished products also get more expensive. Not cheaper.

In addition to that, companies with less competition through tariffs enables product prices to become more expensive due to absence of real competition.

This is not new.

Use tariff money to offer tax credit to US companies to make it cheaper for them to operate in the US.

The cost of Chinese steel goes up. Instead we make American Steel. Dig?

This is thinking outside the box but this did not happen historically and won't happen now.

Tariffs harm the exporting countries, harm the consumers of the importing countries, and also cause retaliatory tariffs that harm producers, decreases competition, and enable further price increases by local corporations.

Many US producers get hurt, all US consumers get hurt.

I’m glad you agree with my point. The rest of your post is showing your news bias. You want the country to continue to rot and have all our jobs exported to other countries? Changes need to be made. Give things a chance before you bash them. These tariffs have a purpose behind them. The current administration just openly gives our country’s money to other countries with nothing in return. Would you rather have that?

Tariffs can be levied at a moment's notice. Are you under the impression that American industries can be created or expanded at a moment's notice? If I'm an American manufacturer I need input materials NOW, and I'll get them from the cheapest source (assuming acceptable quality and dependable delivery).

An argument can be made for targeted tariffs in specific situations, especially when a foreign government's subsidizing a company/industry that's competing for the American market. But blanket tariffs, even if they're politically palatable (to some), are bad policy IMO.

When tariffs are levied the products, whether they come from tariffed foreign nations or consequently bolstered domestic producers, are going to be more expensive. Higher prices for the same goods/services = inflation.

Again, some people may be okay with that higher-prices scenario as a political matter. But they had better not be the same people who spent the last couple years complaining about inflation. A little consistency would be nice.

If Chinese steel is cheaper than US steel, then buying US steel makes it more expensive, not cheaper. What about this can't you comprehend?

Also, you have to be willing to look more than one consequence away. If you can do that, then can you expand your understanding of how things work. Others here do that. You should try it sometime.