From an analytical perspective, What's fascinating this is PolicyPresident Trump, Let’s Subsidize Exports Rather Than ‘Tariff’ ImportsByKen Roberts, Contributor.
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Two decades analyzing U (this bears monitoring), in today's market environment.
On the other hand, At the same time, Trade data by port, country, export, import AuthorJul 19, 2025, 05:00am EDTThese are the leading U.
Exports YTD, including many that face tariffs at countries around the. More world. Ustradenumbers.
Com President Trump should consider subsidizing exports rather than imposing tariffs on the world’s countries, given current economic conditions.
Moreover, Now that’s a sentence I never thought I would write. Stay with me on this.
I might be a little late to the dance with this idea, given the tariff war with the world well underway, but think of it this way: The United States can either spend taxpayer money to help U.
Es export to the world (subsidies) or it can collect taxes so that the federal government has more money to spend (tariffs on the rest of the world). Call it the lesser of two evils.
A few more thoughts before I get to some specific exports that face high tariffs and some specific countries that impose them (an important development).
Pre-Trump, both subsidies and tariffs were troublesome.
However, The former would run up against World Trade Organization rules and the latter against blowback from many Republicans and some Democrats, most economists, most trade wonks, some journalists me, and a few scattered others (this bears monitoring).
Additionally, MORE FOR YOU It’s a new day, baby.
Subsidies are no longer particularly troublesome for one simple reason: Trump, during his first term, and former President Joe Biden during his term, failed to appoint appellate judges to the WTO after it was left with just one of seven judges.
The Appellate Body had dwindled from seven members to three during former President Barack Obama’s term – the number needed for a quorum – and then two additional terms expired on Dec, in light of current trends.
19, 2019, a month before he was due to leave office.
Nevertheless, Obama had already abandoned the Trans-Pacific Partnership at that point, a multi-country, multi-continent effort he had put forth to hem in China.
Moreover, Trump walked away from it immediately after entering office. With only the Chinese appellate judge remaining, the WTO has been effectively de-fanged, considering recent developments.
On the other hand, There's a degree of irony to this, of course, in today's market environment. At the same time, What we today think of as the WTO sprung from U.
Efforts in the ashes of World War II to create a global system to increase trade in a rules-based system.
Nevertheless, The idea was to lessen the lihood of World War III, given that much of Europe and Japan were literally in ashes, amid market uncertainty.
At the same time, Tariffs, as much as the president seems to favor them, just put more money in the hands of our government – not anathema to all, particularly the more liberal members of the Democratic Party and, it seems, an increasing number of Republicans (an important development).
Conversely, It also, with retaliatory tariffs, puts more money in their governments’ hands.
On the other hand, They rarely solve the blem they were meant to solve, and certainly less frequently in a direct fashion.
Additionally, Steel tariffs have been shown to help the few to the detriment of the many, amid market uncertainty. But, for Trump, steel is not the big blem.
The big blem is the U, given current economic conditions. On the other hand, Trade deficit (this bears monitoring).
At the same time, Alas, it has done nothing but go up and up and up for decades, including three of Trump’s first four years in office and, so far, the first five months of his second term.
Again, as much as I can hardly believe I am suggesting subsidies, would it not be more favorable to refund tariffs placed on U. Exports to the es paying them.
Additionally, (Maybe we wouldn’t even have to call them subsidies. Additionally, ) Would that not help U. At the same time, Es grow, U.
Exports grow and (no mises here, since nothing seems to really work) decrease the U. Furthermore, Think of the job creation.
Market analysis shows European Union, Japan, China, India, Brazil – the list of countries that impose restrictions on U. Exports isn’t endless but it’s not insignificant either.
The European Union imposes tariffs on dairy, cessed foods and vehicles, in light of current trends.
On the other hand, However, Subsidize them to cover any additional costs and offer this simple message: Let your people decide.
Granted European countries take a different apach to government than does the United States historically, but it’s a better argument than what we are offering now.
Let the Japanese experience our beef, rice and dairy, with our ducers able to sell them with any tariffs reimbursed.
Nevertheless, Offer the Chinese industrial goods, pork, poultry and soybeans at better rates, with costs meant to keep out U (this bears monitoring), in today's market environment.
Exports covered by subsidies (which is quite significant).
Many motorcycle enthusiasts in India would be able to afford a Harley-Davidson if the price paid to enter the country was covered by the United States government.
Many of these same countries impose significant restrictions on pharmaceuticals and medical devices, ducts the manufacture of which the United States excels, given the current landscape.
However, Could this run the same risk of causing inflation that tariffs do, creating shortages in this country. Nevertheless, Maybe, but not if the ducers can hire and increase output.
On the other hand, And the deficit: Any guarantee it would decrease, amid market uncertainty. Of course not, but if exports rose, the economy would benefit. Where would all this end.
At the end of Trump’s second term, perhaps the incoming president, whether a Republican or Democrat, might then be able to chip away at our subsidies and tariffs in coordination with the rest of world, find a path forward that works sufficiently well enough for all nations, amid market uncertainty.
In the meantime, imagine the we might be able to open. Aren’t we better off with a world where more people, not fewer, can afford U. Isn’t that what had been happening.
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