We’re seeing quite the explosion of trade policy by social media this weekend. First, it was Trump on Twitter, excoriating yet another Indiana company:
Rexnord of Indiana is moving to Mexico and rather viciously firing all of its 300 workers. This is happening all over our country. No more!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 3, 2016
Conservatives didn’t stand for this sort of thing when Obama was president, and I’m certainly not about to now. But that’s almost beside the point. Think about what he’s really doing here as you read what Trump subsequently posted on Facebook (minor spelling error corrected):
The U.S. is going to substantially reduce taxes and regulations on businesses, but any business that leaves our country for another country, fires its employees, builds a new factory or plant in the other country, and then thinks it will sell its product back into the U.S. without retribution or consequence, is WRONG! There will be a tax on our soon to be strong border of 35% for these companies wanting to sell their product, cars, A.C. units etc., back across the border. This tax will make leaving financially difficult, but these companies are able to move between all 50 states, with no tax or tariff being charged. Please be forewarned prior to making a very expensive mistake! THE UNITED STATES IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS.
Now, if you’re educated in economic policy and American government, your eyes have nearly rolled their way out of your head by now. It’d be unimaginable for a 35 percent tariff to pass, and beyond that, it would be ruinous for the country.
And that last part, in all caps, reminds me of the phrase, “the beatings will continue until morale improves.”
But you know what? I’ve never been Trump’s audience. And if you’re reading this, probably you haven’t either.
On the other hand, if you’re an employee at Rexnord or any of thousands of such companies across the Midwest, or if you’ve been laid off by such a company, or if lots of people in your community have — well, that’s a different story. You’re Trump’s target audience, and he’s keeping the exact promises he made to be “your voice.”
You’re feeling pretty happy that for once, somebody is thinking of you. Someone acknowledges there’s a problem, when no one else would.
No matter how much I or anyone else roll our eyes over Trump’s win at Carrier, it is impossible to deny that it was great optics for him. A lot of people understandably put their own job and the stability of their own community ahead of the broader, more abstract idea of economic prosperity.
I’d prefer if Trump focused more on the things that are actually going to work, not just in one place but in many, and that don’t require bribes from one government or another. Sign those pipeline permits, open up resources on federal lands, roll back the late Obama regulations, start rewriting some of the earlier ones, demand a corporate tax reform bill that will make companies want to stay …
Those things are going to matter a lot more to Trump’s success in bringing back or keeping jobs in the U.S. In the long run, he can’t keep his promises to his working-class base by bribing and bullying businesses any more than Obama could.
But in the meantime, Trump is going to get far more political bang for his buck with the earned media he gets from harassing businesses on social media. So expect to see more of it.
