#TariffsPause (Trump's narrative that he forced China to the table is nonsense)

President Donald Trump says his new promise that he’ll be lowering astronomical tariffs on Chinese goods is the result of Beijing’s expressing interest in negotiating a trade deal with him. He even boasted to reporters on Wednesday that talks were “active” over a “fair deal.”

But the next day China said those talks were nonexistent. “China and the U.S. have not engaged in any consultations or negotiations regarding tariffs, let alone reached an agreement,” Guo Jiakun, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman, said.

There is no underlying strategy or clear reasoning behind Trump’s erratic tariff maneuvers.

It’s certainly possible that Trump will lower the tariffs, but the idea that he’s doing it because his hard-hitting tariffs forced China to the table, hat in hand, is classic Trumpian nonsense. In reality there is no underlying strategy or clear reasoning behind Trump’s erratic tariff maneuvers. And even when he reduces them, he’s still dealing a blow to the economy