WASHINGTON — President Trump’s top policy adviser Stephen Miller said Thursday that Americans should be happy to pay more for toys made in the US rather than China — after Trump admitted that his ongoing trade war with Beijing may mean kids will have “two dolls instead of 30.”
“He was making the point that I think almost every American consumer agrees with,” Miller told a White House briefing when asked about Trump’s comment during a cabinet meeting.
“If they had a choice between a doll from China that might have, say, lead paint in it, that is not as well constructed as a doll made in America, that has a higher environmental and regulatory standard and that is made to a higher degree of quality — and those two products [are] both on Amazon, then yes, you probably would be willing to pay more for a better-made American product,” Miller said.
“But here’s the key point: With the tax cuts, the regulation cuts, the energy price decrease, and everything else that President Trump is doing to unleash this era of American prosperity and prevent the road we were on, to get off that road of financial ruin and doom means that it will be cheaper than ever to make and manufacture in America.”
Trump said Wednesday that he expected to talk soon with Chinese President Xi Jinping about lowering tariffs on imports, but insisted that “we don’t need” much of what Beijing produces.
“You know, somebody said, ‘Oh, the shelves are going to be empty.’ Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally,” the president said.
Trump has imposed tariffs of up to 145% on Chinese goods since taking office in January, when the average rate was about 21%.
The president spoke Wednesday on the same day the Commerce Department announced that America’s gross domestic product had shrunk 0.3% in the first three months of this year, putting the country at risk of a recession.
