Hey friends, Peggy Hall back with you from the healthyamerican.org, a short video as we are anticipating Trump’s announcement on tariffs. I’ve been covering the tough truth about tariffs for several days. This is my area of expertise. I’ve got a master’s degree in international policy studies. I have studied international trade, international economics, international law for many years. It’s a fascination of mine, and I am at your service to break down the facts, evidence, and data for you. And in previous videos, I have shown you all of my sources and resources where I have gathered this information.

This video is just to answer a few questions, so let me pose them here. If tariffs are so great, then why are tariffs so controversial? If tariffs are so great, then why aren’t there permanent 100% tariffs on all imports from all countries? If tariffs are so great, then why are there trade organizations and negotiators and favored nation status? There are people that are dedicated to negotiating these trade agreements because free trade is more beneficial. If tariffs are so great, then why do some countries and industries want to be exempt from tariffs? If tariffs are so great, why did the economic output decrease 20% following Trump’s 2018 tariffs, which also decrease manufacturing jobs, including in the steel industry? Oh, yes, nearly 75,000 jobs in the steel industry were lost following Trump’s 2018 tariffs.

How do you like them, apples? His tariffs were so bad that he had to reverse them the following year. Why did Trump’s 2018 tariffs drive up the cost of living at a faster rate than in nearly a decade? If tariffs are so great, then why does the stock market tank every time Trump threatens tariffs? If tariffs are so great, then why don’t tariffs decrease trade deficits and they don’t? And by the way, trade deficits are nothing to be worried about. It simply means that we have a robust economy and we are able to produce so much that we can export it to the world who is eager to give us money.

Nothing wrong with that. If you owned a clothing store, wouldn’t you want people from all over the world to purchase your products? Absolutely. Why don’t tariffs revitalize manufacturing? They don’t. If tariffs are so great, then why is there a universal agreement among economists that tariffs harm the consumer, the economy and manufacturing? If tariffs are so great, why has there been a rush of people buying cars prior to Trump’s April tariffs? If tariffs are so great, why are jobs lost in both the import and export sector when tariffs are imposed? If tariffs are so great, why does foreign investment decrease following the infliction of tariffs? If tariffs are so great, why is there something called a favored nation status in trade agreements? If tariffs are so great, why does the US maintain a trade representative office? Why not just slap the 100% tariffs on every country and every product forever? If tariffs are so great, then why does free trade, which is the opposite of restrictive tariffs, result in a stronger economy, lower prices, lower unemployment, more choices for the consumer, higher wages, and a higher standing of living? Well, the answer, my friend, is not blown in the wind.

The answer is in the historical record, which unequivocally shows that free trade is the best way to generate prosperity, opportunity, growth, and peace for the greatest number of people in the greatest number of countries. We have a century of data and evidence and facts that support what I’m presenting for you here. And I am at your service to help educate you and provide this knowledge for you so that you can understand the tough truths about tariffs. All right, friends, I’ll see you on the other side of Trump’s announcement, and I’ll have a video for you the following day.

You can get this information that I’m presenting with you here over at peggyhall.substack.com. See you soon, everybody. [tr:trw].

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