Trump v Harris on the tariffs front

DW (English)

Both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump would continue to target Chinese products with their tariffs. But where do the similarities start and end?

Transcript

00:00John Maday has worked in the syringe factory for 25 years.

00:05Here we're putting in the bonding agent, the adhesive.

00:10It's basically a UV cure glue.

00:14It's a company he says he's proud to work for.

00:17Retractable Technologies makes safety syringes with retractable needles.

00:21The pandemic, along with millions in federal funding,

00:24catapulted the smaller-scale enterprise into a major supplier

00:28for the U.S. government's COVID vaccination program.

00:31But post-pandemic demand has not been quite as robust.

00:35Now the syringe maker, which has some production at home,

00:38but purchases the majority of its product in China,

00:41is bracing itself for a new dose of pain.

00:45In May, the Biden administration announced tariffs on Chinese imports

00:49to take effect this year.

00:51Some of them, like on steel or electric cars,

00:53are increases on already existing duties.

00:56But some of them are new, like on syringes.

01:00Ahead of the election, presidential rivals Donald Trump and Kamala Harris

01:04appear to have little in common.

01:06Yet the continuation of Trump-era tariffs

01:08and the introduction of new ones in the Biden-Harris administration

01:12could be a sign that whoever occupies the White House next

01:15is likely to continue to wield them.

01:18But economists still expect different approaches from the two.

01:22Trump is talking about anywhere from 10% to 20% tariffs universal

01:27on all products that are coming into the United States.

01:31I haven't seen anything on the Harris side

01:34in terms of universal tariffs on all products.

01:40The tariffs that are being discussed tend to be much more oriented toward China

01:46and much more of the nature of focusing on certain products

01:51that are seen to be heavily subsidized

01:54so that they're creating that unfair competition.

01:58In short, Trump is thinking of broad tariffs for all imports

02:02while Harris is likely to adapt narrow, China-concentrated ones.

02:06But for its part, the syringe-making company's leadership

02:08says they understand why tariffs are in play.

02:11So we're not against tariffs per se. It's a tool.

02:14It's going to hurt us financially, but we're still going to do it.

02:17It's just that it was a destruction,

02:20a further destruction of our ability to bring new products,

02:23to concentrate on other things.

02:25Just slow it down a little bit.

02:27It could do exactly what they want.

02:29Create competition, create jobs,

02:32and give America its independence on syringes,

02:36and every country should have independence on their health care needs

02:39because you never know when your borders are going to get into a situation

02:43where you can't get stuff.

02:45So we're all in favor of that.

02:47Let's just do it right. That's all we're asking.

02:50The company says doing tariffs right would mean allowing them time

02:53until next year to shift the most important parts of their production

02:56back to the U.S.

02:57and letting them compete with bigger players

02:59whose operations are already mostly in the country

03:02and unaffected by tariffs.

03:04But in recognition of the likely reality

03:06under a Trump or Harris administration,

03:08they're not asking for the tariffs to go away.

03:10Those are unlikely to go anywhere,

03:12no matter who is elected.

03:15That's all we're asking.

Category

Transcript

Recommended