Bill Foster Slams Trump’s Tariff Policies: ‘He’s Doing It With Vengeance This Time’

16 hours ago

During a town hall on Tuesday, Rep. Bill Foster (D-IL) spoke about President Trump's tariffs.

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Transcript

00:00The next question. Okay. Um, what is your stance on Trump's trade policy, specifically all of the tariffs?

00:09Well, you know, that's one of the frustrating things about this as a scientist and a businessman

00:14Is that you know, I see the damage of these tariffs and you know

00:17I just when the tariffs came up last time I was besieged by businesses saying what the hell we're being clobbered by

00:24By the effects of these tariffs, you know, it's sort of those of you who've suffered through

00:29You know macroeconomics have probably learned

00:33Learned just how bad tariffs were back in the depression

00:36You've seen you've seen the recent numbers when people say why is is u.s

00:41Growth significantly higher than say europe and other advanced countries a big part of that is we have low tariffs and they have high tariffs

00:48because if you're trying to manufacture something in the united states, you know, I've

00:53I'm a manufacturer, you know when I was when I was 19

00:57My little brother and I started this company that now produces about two-thirds of all the theater lighting equipment

01:06But um, but you know and we do

01:08Hardware software sheet metal painting wiring harnesses everything only manufacturing the midwest. I'm very proud of it

01:14But there are parts that we import. Okay, and when you see those

01:19Though a huge tariffs being put on imported parts. Guess what when you try to re-export that material?

01:24It's not competitive

01:25All right, and it's because the united states has had pretty low tariffs that we have had the highest growth rate in the

01:33In the advanced anything with advanced companies of the world and that's pretty that's pretty important and it agrees with theory

01:41It's also agrees with the evidence

01:43You know, there's a big effort to rewrite history on the part of the trump administration

01:47But last time around trump's tariffs put us into a manufacturing recession one full year before covid

01:54Okay, they that was causing pain. There was an export recession one year before covid

02:00There was a drop in manufacturing employment one year before covid, you know this

02:05Heard last time he did it and he's doing it with vengeance this time

02:08And so I you know, I am now once again being besieged by businesses in my district, you know

02:13There's one that does sheet metal

02:17in aurora and

02:18They um, they that goes on you don't believe this the price of hot road steel is up 33

02:24Just since the inauguration just in just in anticipation of those tariffs

02:30And that's going to make the products and you don't export some of what he makes

02:33It's just going to make it uncompetitive and you know, this is a tough thing to explain

02:38Because everyone's sort of frustrated that that wouldn't it be great if we made absolutely everything in the united states

02:45But there is I mean, there's a reason to buy a lot of our steel and a lot of our lumber from canada

02:50because you know, they

02:52They have a lot of the resources necessary

02:54To do that and they can do it at a price lower than we can

02:58And there are things we can do cheaper than canada and it makes sense for us to trade and not have tariffs on that

03:03And when you see the sort of nonsense economics that somehow donald trump has convinced himself

03:10And then you see these really smart businessmen that he brings into his orbit

03:15You know better just standing up and saying things, you know, they don't believe in supportive tariffs and stuff like this

03:22I do not know. I do not know. You know, this is a

03:26You know, it's something I wonder a lot about everything about the the trump

03:30you know the trump orbit, you know, there's a

03:33There's a member a very wise member marcy captor of represents toledo who pointed out something interesting though

03:39Which is that every member of trump's orbit was neglected as a child

03:47Which is not you know, it sounds funny but you go down this list, you know, jd vance wrote a book about

03:52About you know, how his childhood was terrible

03:57You know, it's it's really interesting you go down this list

03:59And so they seem to be almost united by a grievance against the universe because they were made fun of in fourth grade

04:06or whatever it is, I don't know but it's

04:09You know, maybe it's a clue because this why is a hard thing. I am always bothered when I see smart people doing evil stuff

04:16It just it just really bothers me and but it's it's a fact of life. We've seen it many times in history

04:23When you figure that out, let me know

Bill Foster Slams Trump’s Tariff Policies: ‘He’s Doing It With Vengeance This Time’

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