Donald Trump likes to pound his chest with outrage over how the United States is always losing to China. Which he should know, since one thing the United States loses to China is Donald Trump’s business. Kurt Eichenwald reports:
A Newsweek investigation has found that in at least two of Trump’s last three construction projects, Trump opted to purchase his steel and aluminum from Chinese manufacturers rather than United States corporations based in states like Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and Wisconsin. In other instances, he abandoned steel altogether, instead choosing the far-less-expensive option of buying concrete from various companies, including some linked to the Luchese and Genovese crime families. Trump has never been accused of engaging in any wrongdoing for his business dealings with those companies, but it’s true that the Mafia has long controlled much of the concrete industry in New York.
Throughout his campaign, Trump has maintained that some controversial decisions for his companies amounted to nothing more than taking actions that were good for business, and were therefore reflections of his financial acumen. But, with the exception of one business that collapsed into multiple bankruptcies, Trump does not operate a public company; he has no fiduciary obligation to shareholders to obtain the highest returns he can. His decisions to turn away from American producers were not driven by legal obligations to investors, but simply resulted in higher profits for himself and his family.
When companies like Trump’s buy steel from China, they cost jobs in the U.S.—in states like Ohio and Pennsylvania, where Trump has been emphasizing his ugly brand of fake populism. And then Trump stands there yelling about how politicians fail to challenge China, yet acting as if only a fool could expect him to do any better by American manufacturing. Other people should do better at keeping jobs from moving to China, but him? That’s crazy talk, he has to make a profit.
Want to reach millennial voters in swing states to win this election? No matter where you live, volunteer with NextGen Climate to make phone calls, send texts, and find other ways to help out.
Trump really could do better on steel and aluminum and, as Eichenwald also points out:
Trump has said he has been forced to use the Chinese for his clothing lines because no American company makes those kinds of products anymore. That is not true—for example, all Brooks Brothers ties are made in New York, while about 85% of the company’s suits are made in Massachusetts.
Look at that. America(n clothing manufacturing) is already much greater than Trump knows. Or will admit, in any case.
Donald Trump cares only about himself. Everything is about personal profit, and he is not about to change as president. He’ll keep doing business the only way he knows how.