Here’s a letter to the Washington Post.
Editor:
On July 23rd the Trump administration announced new tariffs meant to punish foreign governments for failing to adequately prevent “forced labor.” As you report, “senior administration officials said the president’s concern over forced labor was genuine” (“Trump sets new tariffs to punish use of ‘forced labor,’ replacing expiring import taxes,” July 24).
I’m touched by the president’s change of heart. Until yesterday, he was all about ‘putting America first.’ But no more! Mr. Trump’s concern for exploited foreign workers now runs so deep that, to right this wrong, he is willingly foisting higher prices on American consumers and businesses.
His MAGA base will undoubtedly turn on him for abandoning his ‘America First’ policies. But we must applaud Mr. Trump’s poignant move to compel all Americans to make sacrifices to improve the lot of the world’s poorest.
Sincerely,
Donald J. Boudreaux
Professor of Economics
and
Martha and Nelson Getchell Chair for the Study of Free Market Capitalism at the Mercatus Center
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030
