As the weeks tick by, more and more of sociopathic con man Donald "Rump" Trump's campaign promises prove to be the lies we knew they were. We just thought he'd be more subtle when it came to giving the shaft to his followers in Trumpland.
Last week, when Rump announced stiff tariffs on imported washers and parts, it impacted the community of Clarksville, TN, the main city in Montgomery Co., which voted 56% for Rump in 2016. LG Electronics had been constructing a plant in Clarksville, and the local and state governments have provided big incentives to the South Korean manufacturer ($23 million by the state of Tennessee alone) to build there. In return, the plant would provide employment for thousands when fully operational. Now, Rump's protectionist move has put that in question:
"Trump’s decision to impose 20 percent to 50 percent tariffs on washer imports and parts has local officials asking what his “America First” stands for: supporting all U.S. manufacturing jobs or just favoring traditional American brands over foreign rivals. Labor statistics show that foreign companies have been the source of the majority of new manufacturing jobs since the 2009 recession." (emphasis added)It appears that Rump will do what's best for his corporate manufacturing contributors (hi there, Whirlpool and GE!), even if it risks trade wars that the U.S. can ill afford. Consumers can also expect to pay more for washers as a result of the tariffs. We can't think of a better closing than this quote from a Trumpist believer:
“I think it goes against what (Trump) has talked about doing and that’s bringing jobs back to America,” said [Jim] Durrett, the county mayor and a Republican."Suckers.
