Update on Kudlow contradicting Trump

You may recall that Chris Wallace forced Larry Kudlow to admit China does not pay the US money with tariffs.  I had to update that post with this note:

No nasty tweet about Kudlow this morning, but he noticed.

That linked to a bunch of tweets His Lardship posted about how China really would be paying.

But, just because there were no nasty tweets, doesn't mean there was no nasty.

Trump is telling advisers and close allies that he has no intention of pulling back on his escalating trade war with China, arguing that clashing with Beijing is highly popular with his political base and will help him win reelection in 2020 regardless of any immediate economic pain.

  WaPo

Screw the country; the only important thing is reelection. Does he think his base is large enough to pull that off? Or is he counting on something even more illegal than Russian interference?

Trump’s defiance is rooted in decades of viewing the Chinese as economic villains and driven by his desire to fulfill a core promise from his 2016 campaign: that he would dramatically overhaul the U.S.-China relationship.

[...]

Speaking to reporters Tuesday before boarding Marine One en route to Louisiana, Trump insisted that he is in a “very, very strong position” and called the stalled negotiations “a little squabble.”

[...]

But as Trump expresses confidence, there have been tensions inside the White House, with some advisers uneasy with Trump’s strident nationalism and firm belief in tariffs as economic weapons.

[...]

Trump has worked to contain his current advisers as the negotiations have unfolded and present a united front to the Chinese, who he believes are looking for weakness, according to multiple officials, many of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to share private discussions.

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Trump was irritated on Sunday after National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow acknowledged on “Fox News Sunday” that American consumers end up paying for the administration’s tariffs on Chinese imports, contradicting Trump’s claim that the Chinese foot the bill, officials said.

“Trump called Larry, and they had it out,” according to one White House official who was not authorized to speak publicly. Two other officials, however, described the conversation as cordial and said Trump and Kudlow went back and forth on trade, with Trump telling Kudlow several times to “not worry about it.”

[...]

Aides to the president say he comments about how many goods are made at low cost in China and how he believes China does not pay their workers or follow international laws. These people say he also bragged to aides about how much he has damaged the Chinese economy.

[...]

Dozens of U.S. companies have complained that Trump’s earlier steel and aluminum tariffs drove up their costs and hurt more U.S. workers than they helped. But Trump does not see it that way and suspects companies are trying to blame him for troubles that began before he implemented tariffs, according to people familiar with the internal debate.

He knows it can't be his fault.

Vice President Pence has quietly sought to allay senators’ concerns over tariffs but has been unable to offer any meaningful concessions or promises, Senate GOP aides said this week. During a lunch with Republicans last week, Pence told senators he heard them when they berated the administration’s tariffs, but he then asked them to stand with the president, without saying much else.

[...]

“The fact is it’s Americans who are paying the price of these tariffs,” Sen. Patrick J. Toomey (R-Pa.) told reporters on Tuesday, citing economic data showing the levies have not had the intended effect of closing the trade gap with China or measurably hurting Chinese exports.

[...]

Asked if Trump understands this view, Toomey said, “I assume the president understands how this works."

And we all know what happens when you assume.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.