Biden attacks Trump with new China tariff announcement

President Joe Biden, at a White House event Tuesday to announce targeted new tariffs on China, argued his approach to trade policy was smarter and better for workers and consumers than the broad actions being threatened by former President Donald Trump.

“It's a smart approach,” Biden said of his action to impose "strategic and targeted" tariffs on Chinese imports such as electric vehicles, solar cells, steel, aluminum, syringes, personal protective equipment and harbor cranes.

“Compare that to ... what the prior administration did. My predecessor promised increased American exports and to boost manufacturing, but he did neither. He failed,” Biden continued, flanked by steelworker and aluminum industry representatives whom Trump tried to win over with his tough trade approach.

Still, Biden’s trade action leaves in place the tariffs that Trump imposed on more than $300 billion worth of Chinese during 2018 and 2019, despite pleas from many business groups for tariff relief.

Biden also drew a contrast between his willingness to work with allies to confront China and Trump’s more go-it-alone approach.

And he bragged about using export controls and other measures so “the most advanced American technologies we develop or invent … can't be used by the Chinese government to undermine our national security.” That’s something, he said, Trump never did.

He also criticized Trump’s proposal to impose a 10 percent tariff on all imported goods to help bring down the U.S. trade deficit. “That would drive up costs for families on an average of $1,500 per year,” Biden said. "[Trump] simply doesn’t get it.”

Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, blasted Biden’s action as “a weak and futile attempt to distract from the grievous harm his insane Electric Vehicle mandate is doing to the U.S. auto industry and how his radical policies are wiping out thousands of American auto jobs.”

Leavitt also criticized Biden’s decision not to raise duties on gasoline-powered Chinese-made cars, which she said was evidence that Biden wants to force “Americans into ultra-expensive Electric Vehicles they don't want and can't afford.” Conventional Chinese cars already face a 27.5 percent duty because of Trump's previous tariff action, compared to the 2.5 percent duty on most imported vehicles.