Donald Trump announced plans to impose sweeping 25% tariffs on cars from overseas on Wednesday, days before the US president is expected to announce wide-ranging levies on other goods from around the world.

“What we’re going to be doing is a 25% tariff for all cars that are not made in the United States,” Trump said in the Oval Office. “We start off with a 2.5% base, which is what we’re at, and go to 25%.”

The announcement drew swift condemnation from the European Union and from the Canadian prime minister, Mark Carney, who called it a “direct attack” on Canadian workers. “We will defend our workers, we will defend our companies, we will defend our country, and we will defend it together,” Carney said.

  • blakenong
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    5 days ago

    I’m all for buying locally made products, but making those products better is the way to get people to buy them.

    Trump doesn’t actually care about the economy, he cares about people doing what he says and now he’s got his sights on the rest of the world.

    • SippyCup@feddit.nl
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      5 days ago

      Fun fact, most of the cars made in the US are from foreign manufacturers.

      Domestic manufacturers produce their cars in Mexico and Canada.

      • entwine413@lemm.ee
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        5 days ago

        I’m going to laugh when F150s and shit skyrocket in price while Ridgelines and Tacomas drop.

        • SippyCup@feddit.nl
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          5 days ago

          You mean like they already did?

          I’m not sure what the fuck they’ve been thinking but all three domestic automakers priced their trucks so high they couldn’t get them off the lot.

          • entwine413@lemm.ee
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            5 days ago

            Yeah, I have noticed that the Honda and Toyota dealers near me are usually pretty empty, while the domestic brands are pretty full.

      • blakenong
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        5 days ago

        Looks like I won’t have a problem finding a quality car then

    • Kaboom@reddthat.com
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      5 days ago

      Do you know why things are made in China? Because safety is expensive. Labor rights are expensive. Environmental protection is expensive. Basic human rights are expensive.

      As much “America bad” you have in your head, America still has all those things, and things made in America are expensive.

      What sells more, a cheap shirt from Walmart or one from a boutique?

      • blakenong
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        5 days ago

        The one from a boutique is probably made in china. The issue is all the manufacturers decided that they could profit more by leaving. You say “labor right are expensive” you mean a fair wage? I mean, it’s not actually that expensive when a company is pulling in billions in profit. If you didn’t know what a corporate shill was, you do now.

        • Kaboom@reddthat.com
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          5 days ago

          I think we’re agreeing?

          Fair wages, not stealing wages, breaks, all that is extremely expensive compared to not.

          Expensive means less profits.

          • blakenong
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            5 days ago

            Right. Which is fine. Less is actually fine.