A.G. Gancarski
President Donald Trump has irritated traditional U.S. allies such as Canada and the European Union with tariffs, setting off a trade war amidst fiery rhetoric on both sides.
In Jacksonville Friday, Sen. Bill Nelson took Trump to task, discussing how tariffs would affect domestic businesses.
Meanwhile, he endorsed the President’s Singapore Summit with North Korea’s Supreme Leader later this month.
“Starting a trade war with our closest allies is the last thing we should be doing. No one wins in a trade war, especially hardworking families who may have to pay more for the goods they buy every day,” Nelson said.
Nelson noted that the 25 percent steel tariff and the 10 percent aluminum tariff would affect local businesses, including the Budweiser plant.
“They produce 3.3 billion,” Nelson said, “cans a year. Multiply that by 25 percent tax add to that, that adds up to real money.”
Europe, Canada, and Mexico, Nelson added, provide consumer goods ranging from cars and machinery to steel from Mexico.
“The cost of a car is going to increase … a lot of the goods we buy every day,” Nelson said, forecasting an “international trade war” with retaliatory tariffs.
Nelson added that “a lot of the Republican Senators are feeling uncomfortable,” including Sen. Marco Rubio.
“If this starts an international trade war, Florida’s going to get hurt,” Nelson predicted.
The Senator was more bullish, relatively speaking, on the prospects of diplomacy with North Korea.
Despite inevitable “starts and stops,” Nelson “hopes the summit’s on.”
“It’s always better to talk to your enemy than to be shooting,” Nelson said, though acknowledging skepticism on North Korea making significant concessions.
“He will get what he wants, to be on an equal playing field with the United States,” Nelson said of Kim Jong Un, “and will bob and weave.”
Despite the “hollowed-out” State Department, Nelson holds out hope that current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “will have the experts he needs as they do the pre-negotiation.”
“What you would hope is that you have everything negotiated by the time they do the summit in Singapore,” Nelson said.
