Sacramento Bee Logo

Trump’s tariffs are far more ominous than Bush’s | The Sacramento Bee

×
  • E-edition
    • Customer Service
    • SacBee Rewards
    • About Us
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Apps
    • Mobile & Apps
    • Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube
    • News in Education (NIE)
  • Newsletters

    • Sacramento Region
    • Arena
    • City Beat
    • Crime
    • Local Govt Salary Database
    • The Homeless
    • Marcos Bretón
    • Transportation
    • Education
    • Environment
    • Health & Medicine
    • Traffic Conditions
    • Weather
    • Communities
    • Elk Grove
    • Folsom/El Dorado
    • Roseville/Placer
    • Yolo
    • Sports
    • Kings
    • NBA News
    • 49ers
    • Giants
    • Oakland A's
    • High School Sports
    • Joe Davidson
    • More Sports
    • Raiders
    • NFL News
    • MLB News
    • River Cats
    • Soccer
    • Colleges
    • Golf
    • Autos Racing
    • Politics
    • Capitol Alert
    • State Workers
    • The California Influencer Series
    • Local Elections
    • PoliGRAPH
    • State Worker Salary Database
    • Legislative Gifts
    • Local Elections
    • California Elections
    • Election Endorsements
    • Election 2018
    • Voter Guide
    • Investigations
    • Data Tracker
    • Public Eye
    • Afghan Refugees
    • Nursing Homes
    • Opinion
    • Editorials
    • Election Endorsements
    • Viewpoints
    • Influencers Opinion
    • California Forum
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Submit a Letter
    • Jack Ohman
    • Editorial Board
    • Entertainment & Life
    • Arts & Theater
    • Books
    • Home & Garden
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Outdoors
    • Pets
    • Travel
    • More Entertainment
    • Events Calendar
    • Horoscopes
    • Comics
    • Puzzles
    • TV Listings
    • Sacbee Rewards
    • Food & Drink
    • Restaurants News & Reviews
    • Restaurant Directory
    • Cooking & Recipes
    • Beer
    • Wine
    • Appetizers Blog
    • California
    • Big Valley
    • Marijuana
    • Wildfires
    • Water & Drought
    • Lottery
    • Business
    • Real Estate
    • Market Summary
    • Cathie Anderson
    • Nation & World
    • National
    • World
    • Technology
    • Family
    • Celebrities
    • TV news
    • Weird News
    • Video Break
    • News Obituaries
    • Death Notices
    • FAQ
    • ObitMessenger
    • In Memoriam

    • The Sacramento Bee Store
    • Golf Card
    • Farm to Fork Dining Card
  • Jobs
  • Moonlighting
  • Cars
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
  • Legal Notices
  • Place an Ad
  • Advertise
  • Mobile & Apps

Viewpoints

Trump’s tariffs are far more ominous than Bush’s

By Ramesh Ponnuru Bloomberg

    ORDER REPRINT →

March 02, 2018 01:10 PM

At first glance, President Donald Trump’s new tariffs on steel and aluminum may look like a repetition of one of President George W. Bush’s mistakes. Bush also imposed tariffs on steel in his second year in office and, like Trump, did it in part to keep a campaign promise he considered helpful in the Rust Belt.

 
Opinion

Bush’s tariffs are generally thought to have backfired. The tariffs raised costs for steel-using industries, which employ more people and contribute more to the economy than the steel industry itself. They also drew retaliatory tariffs from other countries against American exports. Bush withdrew them in late 2003.

The results of Trump’s tariffs could be worse. The steel industry is smaller now than it was in 2002, suggesting there will be even more workers who lose out from the tariffs than who win from them. Trump is vowing that his tariffs will be in place for a long time, unlike Bush’s.

Sign Up and Save

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

#ReadLocal

But the biggest difference between Trump’s tariffs and Bush’s is their context. Bush’s action fit into a bipartisan tradition that began after the Great Depression. Presidents from that point onward sought to liberalize trade overall, but had to buy support for that agenda from a more reluctant Congress.

Many of our trade policies are built on the assumption that congressmen would tend to seek protection for local businesses, while presidents would fight for the national interest in open trade. So presidents would impose tariffs and other trade barriers to appease congressional protectionists while freeing trade generally. Fairly often, it was the steel industry that received protection from these pro-trade presidents.

Bush, like his predecessors, wanted to enact new free-trade agreements. In December 2001, the House passed a bill to enable him to negotiate trade agreements with a one-vote margin. Bush would probably not have been able to win that vote without saying that his promised steel protection was on the way. Bush’s trade representative, Robert Zoellick, explicitly stated that the steel tariffs of 2002-3 were necessary for any progress on trade agreements.

Trump isn’t trying to placate congressmen who want protectionism in the immediate aftermath of an economic slump. Congress is wary of the president’s tariffs - a role reversal from the postwar norm. Trump isn’t pursuing a broader agenda of freer trade. He’s not trying to get any pro-trade legislation through Congress. He has said time and time again that the postwar trade policies of both parties have been ruinous for the country. He is seeking to renegotiate existing trade agreements and sometimes talks about tearing them up. Trump tweets that under today’s circumstances, “trade wars are good, and easy to win” -- words that neither Bush nor any other post-World War II president would have said.

So while the tactic Trump is using -- imposing steel tariffs -- is familiar, Trump’s trade strategy is entirely different. That’s why, for those who recognize that postwar trade policy has been enormously beneficial for the American and world economy, Trump’s promised steel tariffs are much more ominous than their predecessors.

 
Sign up
Get on The Take. Read the influential voices on California and national politics and issues. Sign up here.

Ramesh Ponnuru is a Bloomberg View columnist. He is a senior editor at National Review, visiting fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and contributor to CBS News.

  Comments  

Videos

Painting the Delta

Homeless in Sacramento

View More Video

Trending Stories

You kill it, you grill it? New California bill would let drivers legally eat roadkill

February 21, 2019 10:18 AM

Joerger asks Hield, ‘Why don’t you just coach the f---ing team’ during heated exchange

February 22, 2019 02:00 PM

Ex-Good Day Sacramento anchor died of overdose during sexual encounter, coroner says

February 22, 2019 06:07 PM

Vlade Divac won DeMarcus Cousins trade and Kings are playing ‘beautiful basketball’

February 21, 2019 03:55 AM

No speed limit? That could become a reality for two California highways

February 21, 2019 01:14 PM

Read Next

California kids need $17 million to close digital divide, Newsom can make that happen

Viewpoints

California kids need $17 million to close digital divide, Newsom can make that happen

By Evan Marwell Special to The Sacramento Bee

    ORDER REPRINT →

February 21, 2019 12:01 AM

We need State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond and other education groups at the table to get an additional $17 million to connect California’s remaining schools to high-speed broadband.

KEEP READING

Sign Up and Save

#ReadLocal

Get six months of free digital access to The Sacramento Bee

SUBSCRIBE WITH GOOGLE

MORE VIEWPOINTS

We need a child care system that keeps California working and children learning

Viewpoints

We need a child care system that keeps California working and children learning

February 21, 2019 12:01 AM
Tyranny is un-American.  It is time to kick our wannabe dictator out

Viewpoints

Tyranny is un-American. It is time to kick our wannabe dictator out

February 20, 2019 12:01 AM
Commentary: Has Newsom become Governor Gaslight?

Viewpoints

Commentary: Has Newsom become Governor Gaslight?

February 20, 2019 03:30 AM
Inland California: the backbone of our state

Viewpoints

Inland California: the backbone of our state

February 18, 2019 12:01 AM
Gov. Newsom’s decision to change high-speed rail plan doesn’t go far enough

Ben Boychuk

Gov. Newsom’s decision to change high-speed rail plan doesn’t go far enough

February 17, 2019 12:01 AM
Lots of luck to Amy Klobuchar. History shows she’ll need it

California Forum

Lots of luck to Amy Klobuchar. History shows she’ll need it

February 16, 2019 12:01 AM
Take Us With You

Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand.

Icon for mobile apps

The Sacramento Bee App

View Newsletters

Subscriptions
  • Start a Subscription
  • Customer Service
  • eEdition
  • Vacation Hold
  • Pay Your Bill
  • Rewards
Learn More
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletters
  • News in Education
  • Photo Store
Advertising
  • Place a Classified Ad
  • Place a Legal Notice
  • Place a Digital Ad
  • Place a Newspaper Ad
Copyright
Commenting Policy
Corrections Policy
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service


Back to Story