“The most beautiful world in the dictionary is tariffs,” former President Donald Trump said in a speech at the Chicago Economic Club on Tuesday.
President Trump received a warm welcome ahead of his interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief John Micklethwait. The editor-in-chief noted that Vice President Kamala Harris has been given the same opportunity to sit down and discuss her economic vision, but has so far declined.
WATCH — MSNBC Rules: Harris 'didn't want to know too much' about tariff plans when I interviewed her:
The former president explained that the main difference between him and Harris, at least on the economic front, is that Harris is “focused on growth.”
“She doesn't have any growth. And we value growth. We're going to bring businesses back to our country. Even today, when I drive by, like steel mills and factories, “We saw empty, old, beautiful buildings lying empty and falling down,” Trump said, adding that “some have been converted into nursing homes.”
“But that's not going to work. And we're going to bring back companies. We're going to lower taxes even further on companies that make products in the United States,” Trump vowed before moving on to tariffs.
“We're going to protect these companies with strong tariffs, because I believe in tariffs,” Trump said, acknowledging that Micklethwaite is anti-tariff.
“For me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariffs. It's my favorite word,” Trump said, calling it “A Beautiful World.”
“China has built a huge car factory in Mexico, and they're going to build it and bring those cars to the United States and sell them,” Trump said.
WATCH — MI autoworkers: 'America is over' if Harris wins:
“They're very close to the border, so they have all the advantages and none of the disadvantages. And that's going to be the end of Michigan,” Trump said, although acquaintances have built factories in Mexico. He spoke briefly about how he abandoned his plans when he heard that he was running for office.
“They saw you winning and doing well, so they abandoned the project,” he said, quoting an anonymous person.
When pressed on the tariffs by Mr. Micklethwait, who argued that the impact would be significant, President Trump agreed, but then reversed the idea by saying it would be a huge “positive.”
“I know how passionate you are about this, and after 25 years of talking about tariffs being a negative, it's hard to have someone explain to you that you're completely wrong. “I guess so,” Trump said, and the audience seemed to support his assertion.
As Mr. Micklethwaite continued to resist, President Trump said, “The higher the tariffs, the more likely it is that companies can come to the United States, build factories in the United States, and not have to pay the tariffs.'' .
clock:
