Trump's Trade War (Vice)
Produced by VICE News, Trump's Trade War travels across the United States to gain insights on the winners and losers of our present-day global trade dysfunction.
During his campaign and throughout his young presidency, Donald Trump has repeatedly promised a tougher stance on global trade. Allies and critics agree that he has delivered on that promise. Set off by the initial tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, his tough rhetoric and merciless enforcement has set the rest of the world on notice: negotiate deals that are more appealing to American interests or reap the consequences of no deal at all.
But to what extent are these inflexible policies affecting everyday Americans as they go about their jobs and work to support their families?
The filmmakers visit with workers at an aluminum plant who all cite Trump's tough trade policies as the principal reason why they have a job. The plant was closed in 2016, but many of the laid-off workforce was rehired upon the plant's recent reopening. "We can support ourselves without depending upon other countries," claims one employee. The CEO of a large aluminum company agrees. His industry was on the verge of extinction, he claims, until Trump's firm stance allowed for a rebirth.
The chief culprit is China. The country's aluminum and steel production is done on the cheap, and this excess product floods the market and tips favor away from America.
Ultimately, though, the diagnosis isn't as rosy as the one depicted by the aluminum factory personnel. The Chinese have countered American hostilities with their own crushing tariffs. Countless U.S. goods - such as massively exported soybeans - are taking big hits during this tense game of trade one-upmanship. Many U.S. corporations are bracing for impact, and are in full crisis management mode. If this trend were to continue much longer, the prices of many essential goods will become prohibitive, and will lead to significant job losses across the American landscape.
By exploring the broader aspects of the global trade conflict, Trump's Trade War paints an informative and frightening portrait of an economy that teeters on the brink of potential downfall.
Americans elect their politicians, Americans cannot say their elected politicians are traitors selling out American interests unless they admit they are stupid and irresponsible themselves first.
Nobody can put a gun at the American's head to force the American trade. American's politicians and bureaucrats put American first when they made trade deals. It is unfair to blame those politicians and bureaucrats when rest of the Americans fail to do their parts to meet the competitions from rest of the world.
Anyhow tariffs are paid by the Americans not by the Chinese, don't be misled by fake news propaganda.
Its not a trade war per se. Its having a trade deal that is not one sided. For too long China has been getting the lions share of the trade deal., with the help of the American politicians,. Meanwhile, the American worker suffers. Why enter into an agreement where one side loses all the time?? That's not good business.
This was a very engaging video which looked at both the pros and the cons of Trump's trade policy.
This isn't a 2019 documentary it came out back in early August 2018. Still a pretty good documentary by Vice, I just wish they would stay away from politics since they don't seem to be capable of being non-bias anymore on the subject, since Trump's election...
The soybean farmer who is hurting is no concern to me. He chose to produce food for a foreign country and worse for the environment one half way across the globe. Time for him to reinvent himself.