Trump uses interview on economics to promote tariffs and riff on his favorite themes

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump has seized on an opening to sound his frequent argument that imposing huge tariffs on foreign goods would amount to an economic elixir — one he claims would raise enormous sums for the government, protect U.S. firms from overseas competition and prod foreign companies to open factories in the United States. Appearing Tuesday before a friendly audience at the Economic Club of Chicago, Trump asserted that tariffs are misunderstood as an economic tool. “To me,” Trump said, “the most beautiful word in the dictionary is tariff. It’s my favorite word. It needs a public relations firm.” If tariffs need an image makeover, it’s probably because mainstream economists say they actually amount to a tax on American consumers.