Trump Defends Tariffs in Michigan Amid Ongoing Legal Challenges
President Donald Trump defended his tariffs in Michigan on Monday, citing an auto-industry comeback as justification. At General Motors' Milford Proving Ground, he claimed that companies building cars in the US pay zero tariff, but economists disagree, saying Americans bear most of the cost.
The nonpartisan Tax Policy Center estimates that the average tariff burden will be around $920 per US household by 2026, while researchers at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and Yale Budget Lab found that Americans bear most of the cost. The White House disputes these findings.
Trump did not mention a recent lawsuit filed over his newest tariffs or the separate round of duties imposed on Canada this month. The plaintiffs argue that the administration's forced-labor tariffs exceed its authority under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974 and impose near-uniform duties across about 60 economies without showing how each country's conduct burdens US commerce.