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Coronavirus has Trump allies plotting fresh economic nationalism push for the election
Far from sparking the sort of global crisis that could doom President Trump’s reelection, key aides believe coronavirus offers a chance to promote his economic nationalism and plot a path to victory in November.
They point out that the outbreak illustrates exactly why the United States should stand up to China, tighten its immigration protections, and take back control of trade supply lines.
Donald Trump Jr. laid out the theory in a series of tweets on Tuesday.
“The coronavirus outbreak shows how important it is for us to keep our borders secure. It's also why,” he wrote, “@RealDonald Trump is right to want a trade policy focused on increasing American manufacturing. He understands that it's dangerous for our economy to be beholden to China!”
The flu-like infection has killed almost 2700 people in China and has spread to about 30 countries since being detected in the Wuhan province of China. The country's slow response and lack of transparency have fueled criticism that its authoritarian regime needlessly allowed the virus to spin out of control and move to other countries.
Fears that it will grow into a global pandemic have sent shudders through the world economy, shearing more than 1000 points off the Dow Jones Industrial Average on Monday, erasing its gains for the year. That was followed by more losses on Tuesday.
Goldman Sachs this week reduced its forecast for U.S. growth in the first quarter of the year to 1.2%, far below the 2.1% for the end of 2019.
An adviser to the Trump campaign said no one was complacent about the impact of an economic downturn on the president’s chances of reelection.
“People would be stupid to think it won’t hurt a president who has made much of his handling of the economy,” he said. “But I think there’s an argument that Trump can make that could help his reelection.”
That argument revolves around reminding voters how Trump shifted American thinking on China, highlighting the threat posed by its communist regime and demanding that U.S. companies return manufacturing facilities from overseas, said Curtis Ellis, policy director at America First Policies and an adviser to the 2016 campaign.
“Those companies that have resisted President Trump’s recommendations are more exposed. If there were to be any economic fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, the blame will be borne entirely by the companies that have resisted President Trump’s America First policies,” he said.
Ellis added that a string of surveys shows that standing up to China was a winning message with voters.
For example, a Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll survey last year found that 67% of respondents believed it was necessary to confront China over its trade practices.
The outbreak of disease has also reignited concerns about Beijing's secretive regime amid allegations that it was slow to warn the world of a new, deadly threat to human health.
“Voters support President Trump’s economic nationalism message. Polling and research shows they support candidates who recognize the true nature of the Chinese communist regime,” Ellis said. “Millions of households voted for President Trump because, for the first time in either party, they saw a candidate who identified the true nature of China’s threat to America’s prosperity.”
So far, the White House has tried to play down fears of an economic slowdown.
National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow told CNBC: “We have contained this. I won’t say airtight, but it’s pretty close to airtight.”
Although coronavirus is a “human tragedy,” it is currently unlikely to become an “economic tragedy,” he added.
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/coronavirus-has-trump-allies-plotting-fresh-economic-nationalism-push-for-the-election
Qeqqed!