CHINA/ECONOMY/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports are forcing Americans to pay more for everyday products. Many economists have shown this. If you look at the appropriate inflation data, like the rising price of imported home furnishings, you can see the effect for yourself. Mr. Trump still does not see it — he continues to claim, incorrectly, that China alone is bearing the costs of his trade war with Beijing. But he admitted at least the possibility that he could be wrong about that on Tuesday [8-13-19], conceding that Americans could start paying more for many products if his latest round of tariffs went through as planned. He acknowledged that when the administration said it would delay imposing a 10 percent tax on some Chinese goods, including electronic devices and toys, to avoid putting a chill into this year’s holiday spending…There were at least a couple of inaccuracies in Mr. Trump’s comments, starting with how much money the Treasury had collected as a result of the tariffs. The Customs and Border Protection agency puts the figure at $24 billion through Aug. 7 — less than half of what Mr. Trump claims.”
–Jim Tankersley, “In Delaying Tariffs, Trump Faces Up to Economic Reality,” The New York Times online, August 14, 2019