News

Could Donald Trump’s Trade War Cause A Recession?

Despite the current strong economy, President Donald Trump’s trade battles with Mexico, Canada, Europe and China have economists fearing a destabilized market.

The Dow has been down in the wake of trade confrontations between the United States and China, and Harley-Davidson has decided to move some of its motorcycle production overseas as the result of European tariffs. The company plans to produce motorcycles meant for European customers outside of the United States in hopes of avoiding E.U. retaliatory tariffs applied last week in response to Trump’s aluminum and steel tariffs.

50 Celebrities Who Have Died In 2018 – Tribute Slideshow

The European Union raised its six percent motorcycle tariff to 31 percent, which Harley-Davidson said would make each bike about $2,200 more expensive to export.  

Subscribe to our free weekly newsletter!

A week of political news in your in-box.
We find the news you need to know, so you don't have to.

Trump criticized the motorcycle company on Twitter for moving production overseas. On Monday he accused the company of “waving the white flag” in his trade war, and on Tuesday he decried the idea of Harley-Davidsons being produced outside of America.

Wall Street analysts are warning of a potential recession due to Trump’s trade decisions, and the impacts of these aggressive moves are starting to show up in economist data.

“Our calculations suggest that a major trade war would lead to a significant reduction in growth,” Bank of America Merrill Lynch economist Ethan Harris said in a research note. “A decline and confidence and supply chain disruptions could amplify the trade shock, leading to an outright recession.”

Many forecasts call for close to four percent economic growth in the second quarter and potentially three percent for the full year – a level that hasn’t been hit since 2005. Analysts believe that the biggest risk to this success is Trump himself.

“We are in a very good place in that we are generating very strong growth and households have more money from the tax stimulus and are enjoying income gains. It’s about as good as we can hope for,” Ellen Zentner, a chief economist at Morgan Stanley, said in an interview with Politico.

The U.S. is currently at a 3.8 percent unemployment rate, and government data has recently shown more job openings than prospective employees.

Kaitlyn Martin

Recent Posts

Democrats Attack Green Party Nominee Jill Stein In New Ad

A new ad about Green Party candidate Jill Stein has been released by Vice President Kamala Harris'…

15 hours ago

Jennifer Lopez Says Trump ‘Offended Every Latino In The Country’ With MSG Joke At Harris Rally

https://youtu.be/inbJpo6D4BQ Jennifer Lopez, campaigning with Kamala Harris on Oct. 31 in Nevada, said Donald Trump’s…

15 hours ago

Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn Says ‘Gates Of Hell’ Will Be Opened On Opponents If Trump Is Reelected

Former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn declared that the "gates of hell" would be unleashed if former…

2 days ago

VIDEO: Kamala Harris Hugs First Person In Line For Her Ellipse Rally, Chats With Her Mom

https://youtu.be/JQCdk-71tG0 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris met with the woman who was the first in…

2 days ago

VIDEO: Harris Vows To Put ‘Country Above Party’ In Front Of 75,000 People At The Ellipse

https://youtu.be/xc72fdqkaVc Vice President Kamala Harris vowed to put “country above party and above self” as…

3 days ago

Trump-Friendly Judge Aileen Cannon In The Running For Attorney General If Former President Wins Second Term

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon has reportedly been placed on a list of potential attorney general candidates…

3 days ago