I am far from being a Trump supporter. I was just speaking from economic reality. As long as we are paying for goods in dollars the price will always be correct. If China demands too many dollars for their goods we simply go back to making them here. The price ceiling will always be the cost of production here and it is somewhat predatory to demand a price from them that is too far below that if our goal is to establish a balance that is beneficial to both sides.

Trump is an idiot in many things, but he knows how to manipulate people. His focus on trade is just another way of blaming others for the damage done to America by his wealthy friends. Trade only hurts the middle class if the wealthy take all of the cost difference in profits, which they have done. America’s productivity, measured in dollars, is up about 85% from ’79, but the real wages of Americans have remained flat.

Trump didn’t cause that, and the GOP had plenty of help over the years from neoliberal Dems after the party abandoned the working people of America in favor of Wall St donors. Trump is a symptom, not the disease. We need disease control at this point, not just pain management.