Quote:Just read the transcript. Trumps explination in the debate was 100% correct. He said he was open to a tariff. Then said that it would take 45% just to make up for the distortions from their artificial devaluations.


Nytimes didn't make it up out of wholecloth, but Trump was making thr point about how unbalanced we are at current with that number, not making a specific policy proposal.

 

Here's the transcript, and you can find the audio on the internet all over the place:

 

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I would tax China coming in, products coming in. A tariff, I would do a tariff and they do it to us. You have to be smart. I’m a free trader, I’m a free trader, and some of the people would tell you ‘oh it’s terrible.’ I’m a free trader.

I love free trade, but it’s gotta be reasonably fair. I would do a tax. And let me tell you what the tax should be, the tax should be 45 percent. That would be a tax that would be an equivalent to some of the kind of devaluations that they’ve done. They cannot believe that we haven’t done this yet.

 

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He didn't say "I am open to a tariff.   He said, "I would do a tariff."  

 

If you listen to the entire audio tape provided by the NY Times, the questioner had to ask him several times what he would specifically do about China and the trade deficit.  They finally pin him down and he answers specifically.  

 

From the audio, the way I interpret what happened, he didn't want to say anything specific, he wasn't prepared, but they pinned him down, and he simply wasn't prepared to give any specific proposal, so he did what no one should ever do in that situation: just come up with something on the fly. 

 

http://www.mediaite.com/online/ny-times-...-endorsed/

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