Adjunct Professor Matt Gold wrote a piece for the Huffington Post blog about a trade proposal that Donal Trump has promised to enact should he become president.
In a major speech in Dallas, Texas last September, the candidate pledged that, as “President Trump,” he would impose a 35% customs duty on cars produced in Mexico, to deter U.S. automakers from shifting production to that NAFTA neighbor.
It was among the promises that propelled him to the front of the large Republican field. And, though it’s no longer news when a Trump proposal is ill-advised, or even absurd, this is an example of how bad an idea can be when developed by the scriptwriters of a political circus.
First, Mr. Trump’s tariff would have to be an ordinary customs duty, because none of the three types of special customs duties can be imposed without the presence of specific economic conditions that have never occurred for Mexican cars exported to the U.S.
Then, there’s that pesky federal Constitution, which authorizes only the legislative branch to impose an ordinary customs duty. So, “President Trump” wouldn’t be imposing anything; he’d be trying to persuade Congress to enact the tariff. From there, his problems compound.