How do Trump’s trade policies impact Blount County and TN?
- Blount County Democratic Party
- Apr 25
- 2 min read
While the tariffs on steel and aluminum might be welcomed by aluminum manufacturers like Arconic, they will hurt many more Blount County businesses and affect thousands of jobs. For example, auto parts manufacturers DENSO and Eagle Bend Manufacturing will be hurt by the tariffs on steel and aluminum, and builder Clayton Homes is likely going to be hit by upcoming tariffs on timber. Thousands of other businesses across Blount County, from food service to hospitals to local government and more will feel the squeeze as the costs of import taxes are passed on to customers, leading to higher inflation.
Blount County is also home to many farms, which will be impacted greatly by the reciprocal tariffs put on the United States by China. The last time around, Trump’s tariffs led to a bailout of farmers to the tune of $28 billion in taxpayer money—and it’s likely going to happen again.
...Tennessee...
In 2024, Tennessee imported $120 billion worth of goods from abroad. Of that $120 billion, $21 billion came from China (facing anywhere from a 125% to a 170% import tax), $15 billion came from Mexico (now facing up to a 50% import tax), and the rest came from countries now facing a 10% import tax.
...and America as a whole?
In the three months since the Trump administration has been in office, chances of a recession have skyrocketed, consumers are feeling worse about the economy than they have since the Great Recession, government borrowing costs are up, the stock market is down, and the world no longer sees the U.S. as a reliable partner.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Republican tariffs will cost Blount County taxpayers, lose Blount County jobs, and raise Blount County prices. The only winners in a trade war are oligarchs and big business, while the rest of us are forced to pay the price.
Here's a fun exercise. Drop this into ChatGPT and take a look at the results!
“Please read the linked press release and tell me whether each of the investments in the bulleted list are attributable to President Trump’s trade policies or whether they were made for other reasons, including expansion of investments made during the Biden-Harris administration with support from programs like the Inflation Reduction Act. Please provide a table showing the investment, whether it is due to Trump’s tariffs, and why that is or is not the case. Use sources from the internet related to each bullet point to support each point, and provide hyperlinks in the table for each point.
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