Joe Biden asked Donald Trump to reconsider plans to impose tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada.
Speaking to reporters in Nantucket, Mass. on Thanksgiving, Biden said the move would work against any attempts to rein in inflation.
“I hope he rethinks it. I think it’s a counterproductive thing to do,” the president shared.”We have an unusual situation in America. We’re surrounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, and two allies: Mexico and Canada. And the last thing we need to do is begin to screw up those relationships.”
Biden also said that the United States’ relationship with China is in a good place and that a trade war would sour the mood between the White House and President Xi Jinping.
“The one thing I’m confident about Xi is he doesn’t want to make a mistake,” Biden said. “I’m not saying that he is our best buddy, but he — he understands what’s at stake… I mean, things are moving in the right direction.”
Earlier this week, Trump said one of his first acts as president would be imposing steep tariffs on imports from some of our biggest trading partners.
“As one of my many first Executive Orders, I will sign all necessary documents to charge Mexico and Canada a 25% Tariff on ALL products coming into the United States, ” Trump wrote on Truth Social, adding that “we will be charging China an additional 10% Tariff, above any additional Tariffs, on all their many products coming into the United States of America.”
Biden said that there’s no doubt that progress could be made on trade deals, but that the tariffs might jeopardize any potential advancements.
“There’s a lot more to do,” he said. “I hope they reconsider.”
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