How is the security of U.S related to tariff or not on steel and aluminium from Canada?

It’s not really…

@MrGrimm888 I’m just trying to see from the point of view of the Trump side, just curious.

I think they try to frame it as more of a need to make sure we can produce what would be needed for the military in the event of WW3.

Say for example China flips out and starts attacking North America and Europe. We need steel and aluminum for tanks and planes. But our capacity of production is diminished since we have just been buying the cheap stuff from Canada. But now Canada needs the steel for themselves and won’t sell to us.

So it would take us a while to build new factories to get up to speed and produce what we need.

I think that is their argument. It is stupid but it technically works.

^And how will this be addressed by imposing tariff on these items?

By keeping plants open in the united states since it would be cheaper to just produce the steel here than buying it from Canada.

Perhaps it’s economic security the Donald has in mind. But there is little question that once again his nibs is screwin with another area that he clearly does not understand. There aren’t going to be any more mass conflicts like the 2 world wars. And if there were, we’d be in deep shit, because it’s China today with the capacity to be the “arsenal of democracy” Trump is wasting his time hopping on the glamour strategics like steel or aluminum. In truth it is almost impossible to visualize just how far the industrial capacity of this country has been allowed to wither. Folks like to think about tanks and planes, but we don’t make the fabric or even the buttons for uniforms, the boots for our soldiers, the sterile gauze for the wounded. We can put out all the corn flakes and beef the troops may require, and God knows we have the guns, but what’s the point in invoking tariffs in a country without a manufacturing base?

@stanleybmanly And for most of the manufacturing we do still have we need cheap imported material like steel from other countries. The policy is total foolishness.

Trump getting a cut from the Iron and Aluminum companies in the USA !

@flo I don’t believe even trump believes it has anything to do with security. He’s just doing it to exert his power and he may believe that it will make other nations kowtow to his demands but it will more than likely just hurt consumers and businesses in the US. I don’t even think his followers believe it. They just believe that it will keep more jobs here. But all he is doing is putting tarriffs on raw material and that means businesses here that do make stuff here will be forced to buy finished materials. This will lead to lay offs and higher prices. If anything this could be more dangerous when it comes to computer parts or auto parts that are computerized. Any nation meaning us harm can maybe tamper or sell subpar parts that will lead to security and safety issues. Probably part of Russia and China 10 point plan to weaken the United States.

Trump’s campaign rhetoric drew heavily on the perceived threat to traditional US industries from foreign companies acting unfairly. He’s simply continuing in that vein. As it becomes apparent that the tariffs don’t make economic sense Trump will try to find some other justification for them.

Steel mills in 2015 employed about 140,000 Americans, according to census data. But 6.5 million Americans work for manufacturers who make things using steel.

It’s just another example of Trump not understanding a situation but acting anyway and then trying to keep his supporters with him.

What are the chances that Canada and the U.S. will be on opposing sides in a future war? Pretty close to zero. Trump’s intention is to have NAFTA modified to be more favorable to the U.S. Even if he succeeds, and that is far from guaranteed, the damage caused to U.S. alliances, in addition to damage caused by retaliatory tariffs, is not worth it. Deal making and diplomacy are not the same.

Ok. But so many Americans were against him applying the tariffs, even republicans.

@flo Trump doesn’t care what the majority of the people think or even what makes sense in many cases.

It doesn’t take a genius observer, to see how this has played out so far. When we put tariffs, on some country’s products, they slap them on ours…

Why simply keep doing it? I think Trump is a moron, but I thought he would maybe get some financial things right. What a joke….

Critical thinking classes and beginner Economics weren’t offered in Fifth grade, nuff said.

Oh oh and what @MrGrimm888 said ^^^^^ !

And there will never be a metaphor more apt regarding unmitigated catastrophe than the thought of Donald Trump as diplomat.