Joshua Bolten, who served as White House chief of staff in former President George W. Bush’s administration, said on Sunday that President Trump is wrong to suggest that a trade war would be easy to win.
Bolten, now the president of the Business Roundtable, told “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace that Trump’s recent tweet calling for a tax on European Union cars suggests that he thinks a trade war is easy and winnable.
“It isn’t,” Bolton said. “Nobody wins a trade war, especially in these globalized days.”
“If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S.,” Trump tweeted on Saturday after the European Union said it might impose tariffs if the U.S. imposes its steel and aluminum tariffs.
If the E.U. wants to further increase their already massive tariffs and barriers on U.S. companies doing business there, we will simply apply a Tax on their Cars which freely pour into the U.S. They make it impossible for our cars (and more) to sell there. Big trade imbalance!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 3, 2018
…….
Bolten on Sunday criticized White House National Trade Council Director Peter Navarro, who had appeared on Wallace’s show earlier, for defending the tariffs.
“The remedy that Peter Navarro was pushing the president to impose doesn’t address the real problem, which is Chinese overcapacity,” Bolten said on Sunday.
“We have to get together with our friends and allies who all face the same problems, put pressure on the Chinese jointly, because you can’t do this individually, and force the Chinese to reform their practices,” Bolten told Wallace.
“It is not an easy task. It is not as easy as waving your hands and putting tariffs on a bunch of countries that are not the problem,” Bolten said.
- Discussion
-
Bush chief of staff hits back at Trump: Trade wars aren't easy to win https://t.co/EBHgGWeeyf pic.twitter.com/BOP4DmGRkk
— The Hill (@thehill) March 4, 2018
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.