Robert H (who/what)

Now Trump exempts iPhone, laptops and other electronics from his brutal China tariffs. The move illustrates a number of important points: No way domestic production would have ramped up any time soon to replace imports so US consumers faced massive price rises on iPads etc. Yes, contrary to the garbage coming from Team Trump, it’s US consumers — not the Chinese — who pay the tariffs. Hence the huge prospective price hikes. Even if domestic production finally replaced imports (very unlikely), shop prices would still be around twice as high for these electronics — unless Americans want to work again for a dollar an hour. Protectionism is good for well-paid lobbyists. So if you can afford them, like Apple and Samsung, you have enough clout/access to get the rules changed to suit you. Forget it if you’re an SME or a business Trump has turned against on a whim.