Trump is wrong about tariffs and who is paying for them

Trump and China's Liu He in the Oval Office
(Image credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)

President Trump threw another curveball into ongoing trade talks with China on Sunday, threatening to raise tariffs to 25 percent on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods. Trump was apparently tweeting out of frustration over Chinese resistance to some of his bigger demands; he succeeded in rattling U.S. investors, at least.

In his tweets, Trump again showed he either doesn't understand how tariffs work or, more likely, doesn't seem to think the reality is as politically palatable as his claims that for 10 months, "China has been paying tariffs to the USA," that "these payments are partially responsible for our great economic results," and that "the tariffs paid to the USA have had little impact on product cost, mostly borne by China." He's wrong on most counts.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.