The steel and aluminum tariffs Donald Trump promised last week are getting their official roll-out … sort of.
Why are things still in the symbolic-being-finalized stage when Trump seemed very certain of what he was doing last week? Because, of course, the final product is going to look very different from what Trump previewed.
Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade and manufacturing adviser, said in an interview on Fox Business on Wednesday that the tariffs would go into effect within about 15 to 30 days and that the proclamation signed by the president would include a clause that would not immediately impose tariffs on Canada and Mexico.
Press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters the exemptions would be made on a “case by case” and “country by country” basis, a reversal from the policy articulated by the White House just days ago that there would be no exemptions from Trump’s plan.
Hmmm … why might Trump have shifted position here? Is it because of the Senate Republicans who criticized the tariffs? Because of House Speaker Paul Ryan or the 107 House Republicans expressing their “deep concern” about the plan? (Though if it’s that, Trump should relax. Ryan and most House Republicans have shown they’ll always, always back down to Trump, no matter how deep their concern may be.) Because someone pointed out to Trump that he got his numbers wrong? Because the almighty Charles Koch is unhappy, and even Trump doesn’t want to anger the big Republican sugar daddies? Because the only way Trump got to the point of announcing tariffs anyway was keeping it secret from most of his staff and the remainder of them got to him?
Whatever the specific reason Trump is walking back his big talk a little here, walking it back he is. Put it to you this way: Donald Trump is tweeting about “showing great flexibility and cooperation toward those that are real friends and treat us fairly on both trade and the military.” Flexibility? Cooperation? Talk about things that are antithetical to Trump! Someone definitely got to him.