The sweeping US tariffs on most countries around the world, and their erratic implementation, have shaken financial markets and reversed forecasts for global economic growth, but several of Donald Trump's wealthiest financial donors have secured a privileged place on the list of more than 1,000 exemptions for goods and services affected by those tariffs.
“It could be corruption, but it could also be incompetence
,” one lobbyist told the independent news agency ProPublica. But Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren is convinced that this is simply the result of a government for sale. “He (Trump) announces a tariff policy, claims there are no exceptions, and then says, ‘I talked to (Apple CEO) Tim Cook.’ You don’t say that. Then he adds, ‘There’s a great deal available for Tim Cook,’” Warren said on MSNBC. The top executive visited Trump at his Florida club and residence shortly before his inauguration and personally donated $1 million to the festivities surrounding the new president’s inauguration.
Democratic Representative Greg Casar denounced the agreement with Cook to exempt his company from tariffs. So, while working families pay more, Apple gets special treatment. Trump gets bribes. Billionaires get special treatment. Working people get screwed
.
Trump has made no secret that his actions have benefited his supporters. In a White House meeting broadcast live during the stock market's ups and downs due to the changes in the implementation of the tariffs announced by the president, he addressed financier Charles Schwab and declared, laughing, " He made 2.5 billion today." Not bad
.
