Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said President Trump’s tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will hurt foreign countries more than they will hurt the U.S., and backed up Trump’s claim that trade wars are easy to win.
Ross said on ABC’s “This Week” Sunday the tariffs are a correction to concessions made to Germany and China, along with many other countries, in the wake of World War II that are no longer needed.
“We have unilaterally given away all kinds of concessions since the end of World War II. In the beginning that was probably good policy … concessions that were perfectly reasonable to make to Germany in 1945 or China in 1945 don’t make sense any more,” he said. “Those are very strong, mature economies and there’s a lot of history to be undone.”
Ross said he thinks the 25 percent tariff on steel imports and 10 percent tax on aluminum imports will push other countries to the negotiating table for better trade deals.
“They have a lot more to lose than we do because those hundreds of billions [of dollars] are in their pockets, not ours,” he said.
Ross said the tariffs are set to be finalized in the coming week and there will likely not be any exemptions.
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Wilbur Ross: Trump's steel and aluminum tariffs will hurt foreign countries, not US https://t.co/flIMEoSJ5O pic.twitter.com/gg1CBScERR
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 4, 2018
Commerce Sec. Wilbur Ross tells @gstephanopoulos "there's a lot of history that needs to be undone" with trade negotiations: "We have unilaterally given away all kinds of concessions ever since the end of World War II." #ThisWeek pic.twitter.com/iSRJBp5jDL
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) March 4, 2018
It happens the president has broad discretion on tariffs. But that's thanks to Congress. The "Section 232" Wilbur Ross keeps talking about is Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. §1862). It's legislation. The current Congress can act to change or amend it.
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) March 4, 2018
And should. This is an area—as are most of them—over which Congress should have full control. It is beyond peculiar that Congress has delegated this question to the executive. https://t.co/59pVc18omi
— Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) March 4, 2018
Perhaps this should be a pinned tweet: Commerce Sec Ross after I asked if it’s possible POTUS could rescind his tariff proposal: “Whatever his final decision is, is what will happen. What he has said he has said; if he says something different, it’ll be something different”
— Chuck Todd (@chucktodd) March 4, 2018
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