Sunday Political Talk Show interviews during 2020-2024: on Free Trade

Will Hurd: Many people have forgotten why free trade is important

Donald Trump: FactCheck: 60% tariffs would cause 5% inflation

While he has not yet committed to a single policy, the ex-president has typically proposed raising tariffs by 10%, or by 60% on goods imported from China, up from approximately 1% and 11% now, respectively.

Goldman Sachs economists projected prices on consumer goods would go up by 0.1% for every percentage increase in the effective tariff rate and raise inflation rates for one year, noting that in addition to the price of imported goods going up, it's also likely the price of domestic goods would increase, because U.S. manufacturers would "opportunistically" raise their prices to take advantage of having less competition in the marketplace.

Kamala Harris: Trump Tax: tariffs are a national sales tax

Harris slammed Trump's plan, saying it was "in effect, a national sales tax on everyday products and basic necessities."

Most experts say tariffs raise prices for consumers: The cost of tariffs can be absorbed by some combination of U.S. businesses that import goods, the customers who purchase them and foreign businesses that export them--which might lower their prices to make up for the tariffs--but the right-leaning Tax Foundation found previous tariffs levied during Trump's first term were paid by US businesses and consumers.

Moody's chief economist told CNN, "If Trump increases tariffs as he has proposed, the economy would likely suffer a recession soon thereafter."

Donald Trump: Tariffs will bring thousands of companies into the country

TRUMP: We're going to lower taxes still further for companies that are going to make their product in the USA. We're going to protect those companies with strong tariffs, because I'm a believer in tariffs. But to me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff, and it's my favorite word. It needs a public relations firm to help it, but to me, it's the most beautiful word in the dictionary. But tariffs are two things, if you look at it. Number one is for protection of the companies that we have here and the new companies that will move in because we're going to have thousands of companies coming into this country. We're going to grow it like it's never grown before, and we're going to protect them when they come in because we're not going to have somebody undercut them.

Donald Trump: High tariffs ensures cars made in Mexico won't sell here

TRUMP: Could I ask you, how are those plants that you mentioned, [I asked the car manufacturers]. "those giant plants that you're building in Mexico, how is that coming along, have you finished them?" "No, sir, they abandoned the project when they heard you're running. They abandoned the project when they saw that you were winning and doing well." I said, "wow, how beautiful," all the things. I told them, I told them, and I said it publicly, they're not going to sell one car into the United States. I said, "if I run this country, if I'm going to be president of this country, I'm going to put a 100, 200, 2,000 percent tariff, they're not going to sell one car into the United States," because we're not going to destroy our country, because I know you're an anti-tariff guy, but I'm the exact opposite.

Donald Trump: We'll make countries keep US dollar as reserve currency