Trump Promises Tariffs On Chinese Automobiles As High As ‘A Thousand Percent’
Former President Donald Trump made a bold promise to his supporters that could shake up both the election and the global economy. During a speech in Detroit, he vowed to impose massive tariffs on Chinese car imports to protect the American auto industry, particularly in Michigan, the heart of the U.S. car market.
Speaking at the Detroit Economic Club, Trump said, “We will implement further protections for critical industries that are fundamental to our national interests. And those include, above all, steel and the car industry. The car industry is critical to us.”
He emphasized the importance of having a strong car industry for national security, stating, “We can’t fight a war if we can’t make cars and trucks and engines and transmissions and drivetrains. Surrendering our car industry is not an option. We have to make our car industry brilliant again, bigger than ever before.”
In his speech, Trump reiterated his commitment to making the country stronger and expressed confidence that even some Democrats would support his policies. He then returned to his key point, the imposition of tariffs on Chinese-made cars.
“So as I said, China is currently building gigantic auto plants in Mexico. And they think that they’re going to sell all of these cars into the United States, which would destroy Michigan, totally destroy your state. But it’s not going to happen. Not even close. They might as well stop building the damn plants,” Trump declared.
He warned that Chinese companies were trying to take advantage of their proximity to the U.S. border for easier shipping, exploiting what he called "stupid" trade policies of the past. “I will impose whatever tariffs are required—100%, 200%, a thousand percent! They’re not going to sell any cars into the United States with those plants,” he promised, stating that the jobs would return to Michigan and other U.S. states, helping "make America great again."
Trump’s comments build on a broader Republican proposal that he and other lawmakers have discussed. In June, Trump and some Republican legislators floated the idea of an “all-tariff policy” that could potentially replace income taxes. According to CNBC, Trump’s proposal would focus on imposing tariffs, particularly on adversarial nations, to offset reduced income taxes.
New York Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis explained, “He does want to look at lowering the income tax, and that could be offset and paid for by some type of tariffs, particularly on adversarial nations.”
Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene praised the idea, saying, “President Trump says ‘this is an idea, but I’d love to raise tariffs,’ and then he said, ‘maybe even no income taxes on Americans.’ Everyone was clapping in the room. I think that’s a fantastic idea.”
Even Republicans who traditionally favor free trade seem to support this shift. “Republicans who are free trade realize there has to be a balance,” said Texas Republican Rep. Jodey Arrington. “Trump’s message on tariffs has been embraced.”
In September, Trump continued to criticize opponents of his tariff strategy, arguing that tariffs could help reduce the U.S.’s financial losses under the current administration. “Under Biden-Harris or Harris-Biden, however you wanna figure it, we’re losing $2 trillion a year. With the tariffs, we can get that number down to a very manageable number. Ultimately, we can break even,” Trump said in an interview with KTNV-TV.
He further explained how tariffs would encourage businesses to build manufacturing plants in the U.S. rather than abroad. “Rather than paying the tariffs, there is no tariff if you build your plant in the United States. Like the autoworkers—we’re not gonna have any autoworkers anymore if everything goes through China and other countries, including Mexico,” he argued.
“We charge tariffs on those cars, they’re not going to be able to sell them. They’re wasting their time building the plants overseas. But we’ll say, ‘Build the plant over here. If you do, there’s no tariff.’ And they’re gonna end up building the plants here,” Trump continued. He emphasized that this policy would bring back autoworkers, manufacturing, and business to the U.S., promising a resurgence of American-made cars.
Trump highlighted the progress made before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, including the USMCA trade deal, which he called “one of the best trade deals we ever made.” He assured supporters that his administration would focus on revitalizing manufacturing, with the auto industry playing a key role.