Trump Handed A Crushing Defeat As Harley Davidson Leaves The US For The EU

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Harley Davidson announced that they are moving some production out of the US and to the EU because of Trump’s trade war.

The New York Times reported:

Harley-Davidson, the American motorcycle manufacturer, said on Monday that it was shifting some of the production of its bikes outside the United States to avoid European Union tariffs imposed as part of a widening trade dispute.

The announcement, made in a public filing, is an early sign of the financial cost to companies on both sides of the Atlantic as the United States and Europe impose tariffs and counter-tariffs on each other. The moves have raised the specter of a full-blown trade war as the Trump administration pursues a protectionist tack with both allies, including the European Union, Canada and Mexico, and rivals, like China.

Trade wars are easy…to lose

Trump infamously claimed that trade wars are easy to win, but with Harley Davidson moving some production out of the United States and people like soybean farmers being crippled in the Midwest, the reality is that Trump’s trade war is harming the US economy. When the trade war is combined with his immigration policies, Trump is putting a double whammy on many parts of the country that strongly supported him.

In 2017, Trump claimed that Harley Davidson was a victim of bad trade deals, “They told me — without even complaining, because they have been mistreated for so long that they have become used to it — that it is very hard to do business with other countries because they tax our goods at such a high rate.”

Trump is losing the trade war, and instead of being the poster child for his manufacturing revival, Harley Davison represents the harm that Trump’s tariffs are doing to iconic American brands that are fleeing overseas.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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