Autoworker Tells CNN the Blunt Truth About Trump That They Still Don’t Understand
https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/author/cillianzeal/?ff_source=push&ff_medium=conservativetribune&ff_campaign=pushtraffic&ff_content=2019-06-08 The general media line in the Trump-Mexico trade kerfuffle was that autoworkers were going to among be the Americans most hurt if the president imposed a 5 percent tariff on our southern neighbors if they didn’t start enforcing immigration laws and stop the flow of illegal immigrants from their Central American neighbors.
Mexico apparently got the message: Late Friday, the president announced that the proposed tariffs wouldn’t be enacted because of an agreement with the Obrador government which “has agreed to take strong measures” to stem illegal migration, according to The Associated Press.
Before that, however, CNN found out that not all auto workers necessarily believed the tariffs would have been apocalyptic. In fact, one Chrysler mechanic the network talked to said he was pleased there was “somebody would actually fight for us” in the White House.
So first, a quick recap of what’s going on: In late May, Trump announced that he was going to slap a 5 percent tariff on Mexican goods if they didn’t do more to stop the flow of illegal immigrants.
The tariffs would be effective starting June 10 and would increase by 5 percent for every month there wasn’t a deal, reaching a maximum of 25 percent.
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Automakers were probably going to get hit the hardest if the tariffs went into effect; cars and car parts are our two biggest imports from Mexico. The general belief, at least among those who were reporting on the showdown, was that this was going to be ruinous to the industry — and that those in the industry would be against it.
However, when CNN interviewed Chrysler mechanic Chris Vitale, what it found instead was a man who was for the proposed tariffs — if they were being used as a negotiating tool with the Obrador government.
In a piece that aired Wednesday, CNN’s Erica Hill said that “after 25 years in the volatile industry, Vitale believes they can weather a storm. And he’s confident this president has his back.”
“The idea that somebody would actually fight for us after being told for years and years, ‘Oh, you don’t matter. You’re going the way of the buggy whip,'” he said.....