Shashi Tharoor Jibes Trump, Says He Treats Tariffs As 'Magic Instruments' To Fix US Woes

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Shashi Tharoor, former Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Congress MP from Thiruvananthapuram, took aim at United States President Donald Trump, saying he harbours the illusion that tariffs are“magic instruments” capable of fixing America's problems, such as reducing the deficit in his country and furthering his political agenda.

Shashi Tharoor also argued that Donald Trump believes making imports more expensive – by imposing tariffs – would revive domestic manufacturing, generate jobs for Americans, and appeal to his core voter base – the MEGA constituency.

“The US president intends to make imported items more expensive by levying tariffs to push the American manufacturers to start doing things in America.”

Tharoor said,“What went wrong to begin with is that Trump has this idea that tariffs are the magic instruments to solve a number of his problems . He feels that too many things that were manufactured in America are now being imported. He wants to make that more expensive so that the American manufacturer will start doing things more in America and employ American workers, who are his base (the MEGA constituency, as it is called).”

On 'offensive' remarks by Trump and Navarro

Shashi Tharoor also hit out at Donald Trump and his trade advisor Peter Navarro over their“offensive” remarks on India, stressing that such language was unnecessary at a time when the two countries were drawing“closer.”

The Congress MP asserted that India was dealth“unfairly” when it came to imposing tariffs. He said,“The unfairness of this has definitely created a very strong backlash in India, and the accompanying insults, both by Trump's own language in his statements and tweets. Subsequently, the extremely offensive statements by his advisor (Peter) Navarro have gotten a backlash across the country.”

“If there's no particular problem in a relationship of 30 years, which has been getting toward greater closeness, why would you use this kind of language about India? This was not at all appreciated,” the Congress MP said.

What did Pete Navarro say?

White House Trade Adviser Peter Navarro had taken a strident position justifying Donald Trump's decision to levy a 50 per cent tariff on imports from India by making a“caste-based remark” on the issue and accusing the Brahmins of the country of“profiteering at the expense of the Indian people.”

Alleging that Indian refiners purchase cheap Russian crude, process it, and then sell it abroad at a premium, Peter Navarro said,“India is nothing but a laundromat for the Kremlin.”

“And what do we have to do as taxpayers? We've got to send them more money. You got Brahmins profiteering at the expense of the Indian people. We need that to stop,” Donald Trump's aide said in the interview.

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