ECONOMY/IMMIGRATION/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump could be running a ‘Morning in America’ midterm campaign strategy, bragging about an economy growing as consistently as it has in over a decade with an unemployment rate tied for the lowest level in nearly half a century. Instead, he’s banking on hard-line trade and immigration policies that could excite his base while undoing economic gains from other Trump policies and nudging the U.S. toward a recession. On Monday 6-25-18] alone, iconic motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson said it would move some production out of the U.S. in response to Trump’s tariff fight with the European Union while the Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled over renewed fears from the president’s expected new trade restrictions on China. It’s all part of a high-risk trade and immigration strategy that has many Republicans, business leaders and even Trump’s former advisers deeply worried about both the politics and the economics of the president’s strategy…Confusion is certainly coursing through the system now on both trade and immigration. Trump’s trade battles with Mexico, Canada, the European Union and China could wind up increasing costs for consumers while destabilizing markets and global supply chains, economists warn. They’ve already left the Dow down for the year despite the strong economy.”
-Ben White, “Trump’s trade war triggers recession fears,” Politico, June 26, 2018 5:02 am