President Donald Trump 's washer tariffs have a rather fuzzy logic.The George W Bush administration slapped safeguard duties on cotton trousers, shirts and underwear imported from China in 2005. Barack Obama singled out Chinese-made car tires for similar punitive tariffs in September 2009. What makes Trump's action against imported solar panels and washing machines unusual is that it isn't aimed at a particular country: It's a global measure.The last time the US used this drastic anti-trade device was 16 years ago. Whirlpool Corp., which complained about unfair price competition, says it's going to add 200 jobs to its Clyde, Ohio factory after the tariff. Somebody better find the orange juice to calm Trump down.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Source: Economic Times January 23, 2018 08:01 UTC