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A Project of The Annenberg Public Policy Center

Can Trump ‘Order’ U.S. Companies to Leave China?

Can Trump ‘Order’ U.S. Companies to Leave China?

President Trump said he “hereby ordered” U.S. companies to “immediately start looking for an alternative to China,” including moving their operations back to the United States. His top economic adviser later said “we do have such authority, but it is not going to be exercised presently.” Here we look at the 1977 law the administration cited.

Biden’s Stretch on Intellectual Property Theft

Biden’s Stretch on Intellectual Property Theft

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden says the Trump administration has not been fighting China on “stealing intellectual secrets,” claiming that instead it has been “fighting in trade.” But intellectual property issues have been part of ongoing trade negotiations with China.

Trump’s Dubious Claims About China

Trump’s Dubious Claims About China

In remarks to the press in Iowa and before departing for Iowa, President Donald Trump talked about ongoing trade negotiations with China, and the possibility of enacting further tariffs. But Trump distorted the facts on several points.

Economists: Tariffs Not Boosting GDP

Economists: Tariffs Not Boosting GDP

Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have a small, negative impact on gross domestic product growth, according to economists, the Congressional Budget Office, the International Monetary Fund and the top White House economic adviser. That contradicts President Donald Trump’s repeated claim that the tariffs have boosted the GDP.

Trump: 17 Repeats in 17 Hours

Trump: 17 Repeats in 17 Hours

Over the course of 17 hours, President Donald Trump repeated 17 false and misleading claims that we have written about since he became president.

Trump on Tariff Revenue

Trump on Tariff Revenue

On the eve of the latest round of U.S.-China trade talks, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. collects “over $100 Billion a year in Tariffs.” The U.S. collected $41 billion in fiscal year 2018, and has collected $34.7 billion through the first six months of this fiscal year.

Trump Wrong on China Trade, Again

Trump Wrong on China Trade, Again

President Trump falsely claimed that the U.S. has “never taken in 10 cents from China” in tariffs, but “now we’re taking in billions and billions of dollars.” The U.S. has collected billions in customs duties on Chinese imports for years, although the amount has increased since the trade war with China began.

Does China Pay Tariffs?

Does China Pay Tariffs?

President Donald Trump is fond of saying that China is paying the U.S. billions of dollars in increased tariffs. Not true. Tariffs are taxes paid by U.S. importers in the form of customs duties, and to some extent by U.S. consumers in the form of higher prices.