Clarkson Lawson criticises Donald Trump’s tariffs, warning they misrepresent trade deficits and could disrupt global trade.
Image: Facebook/Clarkson Lawson
A United States citizen, Clarkson Lawson, has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump's recent imposition of reciprocal tariffs, claiming they misrepresent trade deficits as actual tariff rates.
This backlash follows Trump's announcement that all US imports would face a base duty of 10%, with higher rates for 60 countries, including South Africa.
In a vide on on X ( formerly known as Twitter) Lawson challenged the validity of graphs released by the White House, which claimed the tariffs imposed on other countries reflect the same rates those nations impose on US imports.
"You mean to tell me that China put 67% tariffs on American goods, while we only put 34%? You mean to tell me that all these countries are just ripping the United States off?" he questioned.
Trump has said that countries facing these tariffs are "the worst offenders" due to their significant trade imbalances with the US, pointing specifically to South Africa, which he claims imposes tariffs as high as 60% on American exports.
Lawson, however, argued that these figures do not reflect actual tariffs but instead are derived from the US trade deficit with each country.
“What the White House did — and has admitted — is that the figures indicate our trade deficit with another country divided by our imports,” Lawson explained, using Madagascar as a case study.
He pointed out that although the White House claims Madagascar has a 93% tariff on American goods, this figure merely reflects the trade deficit, showing that the US imports more from Madagascar than it exports.
Lawson warned that such misrepresentations could destabilise the international trading landscape, particularly for smaller nations that rely on trade with the US.
“To get to that 93% number for China, they use the trade deficit divided by the imports,” he said.
He added that actual tariff rates in countries like China and South Africa are closer to 2.3% and 4.5%, respectively.
Lawson also expressed concern about the economic impact of the tariffs. He suggested the long-term effects could lead to higher prices for American consumers, while the federal government would gain revenue from the tariffs, effectively acting as a tax increase.
“Everything will get more expensive for people,” Lawson warned.
He cautioned that these tariffs could strain relations with trading partners and encourage nations like China to build alliances with countries dissatisfied with US policies.
Meanwhile, the global market reacted with uncertainty following Trump’s announcement, particularly in South Africa.
On Friday, IOL News reported that Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Ronald Lamola recently noted that the tariffs could nullify the substantial benefits under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), which might severely hinder job growth in sectors such as automotive, agriculture, and manufacturing.
“The reciprocal tariffs effectively nullify the preferences that Sub-Saharan African countries enjoy under the AGOA,” Lamola said.
simon.majadibodu@iol.co.za
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