What Shoddy Chinese Steel?
Pardon me if I am a bit confused. The president in giving the okay to the acquisition of US Steel by Nippon Steel said that he was going to double the aluminum and steel tariff to 50 percent to stop the importation of “shoddy” Chinese steel. Did he misspeak and mean “shoddy” Canadian steel because we import hardly any steel from China. We only import 13 percent of our steel but nearly half of our aluminum. Last year we imported 23 percent of our steel from Canada, 16 percent from Brazil and 12 percent from Mexico. The other two top countries are South Korea and Vietnam. China is 1.8 percent. Fifty eight percent of the aluminum comes from Canada. The UAE is second with only 9 percent. China is at 2 percent. So the president is using the specter of China when his real intent is to put the Canadians out of business. Recall he said that we don’t need their autos, we don’t need their steel, we don’t need their aluminum and we don’t need their lumber. And he was not talking about the Chinese. The question is whether US production can ramp up to meet the shortfall created by the tariffs.
We are all in limbo now that the U.S. Court of International Trade that struck down President Trump’s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to place tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, and the rest of the world. Almost immediately that court’s ruling was stayed by another Federal court. The court’s tribunal was made up of an appointee by Reagan, Obama and Trump. The ruling was unanimous. I think the vast majority of legal scholars agree that Trump had overstepped his authority – with the exception of those who work for the president. Consider the press secretary, Karoline Levitt whose job is to lie with a straight face and defend the president regardless of what ridiculous things come from him. Of course this is the calling for all press secretaries – remember KJP?
Here is what Levitt said “Last night, the Trump administration faced another example of judicial overreach. Using his full and proper legal authority, President Trump imposed universal tariffs and reciprocal tariffs on Liberation Day to address the extraordinary threat to our national security and economy posed by large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficits.” “America cannot function if President Trump, or any other president for that matter, has their sensitive, diplomatic, or trade negotiations railroaded by activist judges.” I bet it was a surprise for these judges to hear that they were the ones that had “overreached” and were “activists.”
This will only be settled by the Supreme Court. But don’t expect a 6-3 decision to favor the president. I would not be surprised if the decision were unanimous against him. I also expect the ruling on birth citizenship to be unanimous against the president. Then he will rant and rave some more – along with Levitt. I actually do hope the rulings are unanimous for Trump will be hard pressed to call Thomas and Alito “overreaching activist” judges.
Speaking of ranting and raving, the president has attacked the Federalist Society and its former chair Leonard Leo. The Federalist Society had recommended judges to the president to be appointed to the federal bench. After one of his appointees ruled against him on tariffs, Trump said of Leo that he was a “sleazebag” who “probably hates America.” Trump tweeted “I am so disappointed in The Federalist Society because of the bad advice they gave me on numerous Judicial Nominations. This is something that cannot be forgotten!” Here is Leo’s response “I’m very grateful for President Trump transforming the Federal Courts, and it was a privilege being involved.” “There’s more work to be done, for sure, but the Federal Judiciary is better than it’s ever been in modern history, and that will be President Trump’s most important legacy.”
Well at least one participant in the exchange has some class.
haroldblackphd.com 