President Trump said Tuesday he is “doing the right thing” by imposing tariffs on certain foreign imports, despite Harley-Davidson’s announcement that it’s moving some production to Europe to avoid the European Union’s retaliatory tariffs against U.S.-made motorcycles.
“We’re doing the right thing, 100 percent,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. “Tariffs can be a very positive thing.”
He said Harley-Davidson, which opened a manufacturing plant this year in Thailand, is using the EU tariffs “as an excuse” for shifting some of its production facilities.
“I don’t like that, because I’ve been very good to Harley-Davidson,” the president said. “I think the people that ride Harleys are not happy with Harley-Davidson. And I wouldn’t be either.”
He said the EU and other individual countries are negotiating with the U.S. to make trade more reciprocal and fair.
“Nobody knows what’s happening behind the scenes,” the president said “Countries are coming back now to negotiate.”
Mr. Trump noted that at the Group of Seven summit in Canada earlier this month, he proposed to remove all trade barriers, including tariffs, but the other foreign leaders gave him a frosty reception.
“Nobody said yes,” Mr. Trump said. “It was like they couldn’t leave the room fast enough.”
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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