Elon Musk Sides With Trump On Trade “It’s Like Competing With Lead Shoes”

By
Vincent James
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We Are Being Taken Advantage of at the Expense of Our Workers

Even business school economists admit that most of the prominent economists who have been vocally against free trade are likely bought and paid for by special interest ‘globalists’ who directly benefit the most from free trade.  Benefit, at the expense of the American worker.

So I’m going to start out this article with a quote that was referenced in 2011 by a capitalist economist Ian Fletcher in his book called “Free Trade Doesnt work.”

“Unless foreign demand increases, the global economy must shrink to match falling American demand. So increased American exports are the only way to maintain current American imports and global demand. A dose of American protectionism may be what we need”

-Edward Luttwak PHD

We see all of the mainstream so called conservative pundits who are throwing a fit right now about the 6 cent price increase that we will likely see on a six pack of beer if these tariffs are instituted.  We see the liberal mainstream pundits bashing Trump over proposing tariffs just for the sake of bashing Trump, because when Bernie Sanders was talking about this same exact topic with identical proposals, they applauded.

But what do the businessmen who are hurt by free trade think?  What do the workers in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin who have had their factories shut down think about free trade?  Well obviously we saw what they thought when it came time to vote in the 2020 election.  The blue wall was broken in the great lakes region by Trump principally because of the tough trade and job talks.

Elon Musk, who is now widely known for his recent space-escapades with Space-X had a lot to say today about trade in a series of tweets responding to President Trump.  He started out by asking if China should have equal rules that we do here in the US for cars.  He’s asking this of course, because he’s also the founder of Tesla.

Musk has been noticing a trend that directly hurts him, his business and his employees.  A trend that has hurt millions of US workers for decades.  Musk continued in the thread stating that American cars going into China are taxed by China at a 25% rate yet cars coming from China into the US are only taxed at a 2.5% rate.  This is obviously a problem.

Musk also said that he had raised this issue with the prior administration and nothing happened.  Yeah we know.  Nothing happened in general with the prior administration.

Even though Obama stated on the campaign trail in 2008 that he would fix our trade deficit and renogotiate NAFTA.  Again, like with every other promise by Obama, nothing happened.

Musk then goes on to say that no US auto company is allowed to own even 50% of their factory in China yet there are five major 100% China owned EV auto companies in the US.  Another major issue.  This trade problem, combined with a few other factor, lead to the downfall of the auto industry here in America.  Overseas automakers just don’t have to follow the same standard that we do here in the US.  And when Chrysler and GM went bankrupt, Toyota for instance did not.

Tariffs on steel and aluminum are a necessary opening move for the US to move.  And in economic theory, as long as the prediction is correct, everyone will then follow suit.  Even Paul Krugman eventually.