David Brooks: Trump Will Use Tariffs to Amass Political Power, Enrich Himself

EXCERPT:

BROOKS: “You know, I think there’s been a shift. And so, there was some rationale — it was stupid, but it was a rationale — for the original tariff everybody, and that was, we want to restore manufacturing to this country. But when it becomes deal by deal, and it’s all temporary, and it’s all up for negotiation, no entrepreneur is going to invest in this country if this — the tariff levels are going to move up and down. There’s just no way you’re going to invest. And so what is — that regime was to try to restore manufacturing. This regime is about corruption. And so what is a tariff? It’s an amassing of political power over the economy. And what do people do who are in the economy, who want to keep their business alive? They have to find a way to bribe the political leaders who run the tariffs. And so, the countries are going to come in, hiring local lobbyists here to lobby the Trump Administration, ‘What do we have to give? Who do we have to give to?’ Companies are going to be asking for waivers. 'What do we have to give? How much do you want, Mr. Trump?’ And so the fact that Trump’s in the center of all these negotiations puts him in the center of a web of corruption. And I think that’s what we’re going to see.”

(via RealClearPolitics)