Senator David Perdue Talks Trade & Tariffs On CNBC

“I think you’ll see a more targeted approach as we get into the details”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator David Perdue (R-GA) spoke with Becky Quick, Joe Kernen, and Larry Bossidy on CNBC’s Squawk Box about the benefits of a targeted approach to trade and tariffs.

Click here to watch or click on the image below.

Highlights:

Instincts Are Spot On: “I think President Trump’s instincts have been right all along. He wants to create a more level playing field with the rest of the world. Last year, the President moved to make us more competitive by focusing on regulation, energy, and taxes. This year he wants to focus on trade, immigration, and infrastructure.”

Targeted Approach: “I think you’ll see a more targeted approach as we get into the details of this. This is a matrix situation as we all know. There are countries and there are product categories. Even within product categories you have to look at specific instances. President Trump is moving in the right direction.”

Status Quo Is Unacceptable: “President Trump is a business guy. He moves at a business-pace not a bureaucratic-pace. I think he got frustrated with the way Washington was responding to this and frankly, the way other countries were responding to it as well. He stepped out and we’ve got the world’s attention now. The status quo is not acceptable to this President, to me, or to anyone who comes from a business perspective.”

Long-Term Plan: “I know President Trump has a long-term game plan in mind. This is not a knee-jerk reaction around steel or aluminum. This is about the global situation. NAFTA is a great example of where the President backed up and gave us time to work out the details. He did this on the border adjustment tax last year too. I was very involved in discussions with the President about why the border adjustment tax wasn’t a good idea and he agreed.”

Real World: “At Reebok, we made and sold goods in dozens of countries. That’s the way most of these multi-national companies are formed and the way most people are doing it today. Even small businesses make and sell in multiple countries. If we make America more competitive, we’ll attract more manufacturing to the U.S., more jobs, and increase access to new markets so companies can export more.”