Letter

In response to "China's calm response to US' impulsive tariffs gets noticed"

Not all Americans own shares

A lot of articles appear in the media about the effect of tariffs on the stock market. But the majority of Americans don’t own shares of any note. However the majority holds down jobs which are now under risk. GM and Ford are closing a number of manufacturing plants due to the effect of tariffs.

The chief executive of Harley Davidson motorbikes has rebuked Trump. Amazon is said to be moving its headquarters overseas. Tesla and Musk have almost become blacklisted. Delivery and truck drivers are laid off due to lack of products being shipped to America. Travel and tourism has fallen significantly.

But it is the laid-off workers who will make the loudest protests in coming weeks. They will have no money to pay for food, rent and mortgages, insurance, health costs and kids’ education. These issues are regularly reported on channels like MSNBC.

Unless Trump can pull a rabbit out of his hat, America’s internal protests about tariffs will escalate in the very near future. This has international implications for world trade. I can only hope the Albanese Government has a good crystal ball!

— Ian Bowrey from Hamilton South