Trump's Tariff Stick Has Benefited U.S. Lobbying Firms, But With Limited Results
"Many governments have spent huge amounts of money to lobby Trump on the issue of tariffs. But most have returned empty-handed."
On August 9, the American political news website Politico published an article stating that since President Trump took office this year, countries around the world have "splurged" millions of dollars to hire lobbyists, trying to get Trump to "show some mercy," avoiding the impact of tariffs. However, in most cases, traditional lobbying strategies in the United States seem to have had little effect, and these expenditures have not yielded any results.
The report stated that at least 30 countries have hired lobbyists who are connected to Trump, including major trading partners such as South Korea, Japan, Canada, and India, as well as smaller countries such as Bosnia and Ecuador. However, hiring lobbyists has not played much of a role. On July 31, Trump signed an executive order determining the "reciprocal tariff" rates for several countries and regions, with specific rates ranging from 10% to 41%.
The article used Canada and Mexico as examples: Canadian federal and provincial governments heavily hired lobbyists, but the country still suffered heavy losses; however, Mexico took a different approach, benefiting from the "personal relationship" between President Sheinbaum and Trump, thus avoiding the worst scenario.
"The current leadership seems to be overturning traditional ways of doing things. This is not just a business issue, but also involves diplomacy and relations with other countries," said Mukesh Agarwal, CEO of the U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum. "I think the entire old model of trying to exert influence seems no longer effective."
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1840081205143552/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.