by Dan Mitchell | Aug 18, 2018 | Blogs, Taxation, Trade
There’s an ongoing debate about Trump’s endgame on trade. Is he simply a crude protectionist, or is he disrupting the status quo in order to force other nations to reduce their protectionist barriers? I hope it’s the latter, though I fear it’s the former. But one...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 15, 2018 | Blogs, Trade
It’s no secret that I’m a critic of Trump’s protectionism. He doesn’t understand the benefits of trade, misinterprets trade data, and – to coin a phrase – he’s “making cronyism great again.” But, as shown in this interview, even I’m shocked that he’s “blaming the...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 8, 2018 | Blogs, Economics
I often discuss the importance of long-run growth and I pontificate endlessly about the policies that will produce better economic performance. But what about short-term fluctuations? Where are we in the so-called business cycle? I don’t think economists are good at...
by Dan Mitchell | Aug 1, 2018 | Blogs, Trade
By starting a trade war, President Trump is playing with matches in a gunpowder factory. Other nations are retaliating, creating the risk of escalating tit-for-tat protectionism. But is that really what’s happening? Is it possible that the President instead is playing...
by Dan Mitchell | Jul 30, 2018 | Blogs, Economics, Taxation
Earlier this month, I talked about the economy’s positive job numbers. I said the data is unambiguously good, but warned that protectionism and wasteful spendingwill offset some of the good news from last year’s tax reform. This is what’s frustrating about the Trump...
