Trump and Biden’s appeal to Rust Belt turns on tariffs
PoliticoTrump now wants to go much further, laying plans for tariffs on electric vehicles coming from the U.S.’s largest trading partner — Mexico — which could be far more disruptive. “I’ve talked to the former president himself about this,” said Sen. Josh Hawley, one of Trump’s most steadfast allies in the Senate, who has proposed legislation for tariffs over 100 percent auto imports from Mexico. “I think his views are well known, and Bob Lighthizer — I think he’s a real leader on this, and he and I talk frequently.” Those close to Donald Trump say he and informal policy advisers like his ex-trade chief Robert Lighthizer are actively planning to impose tariffs on cars from Mexico, if that country’s government does not agree to stem the tide of cheap Chinese cars. “We just don’t want these cars and parts coming into the United States.” Biden’s more modest approach Trump’s threat to slap tariffs on autos from Mexico is just one piece of a broader trade agenda that would use tariffs to erect a wall around American industrial sectors — and, by extension, consumers. “The investments we’re talking about are going to be Chinese-owned companies, and they’re gonna be Mexican-origin autos,” meaning that the imported cars would pay tariffs of only 2.5 percent, said another former Trump administration official with knowledge of the conversations.