White House condemns Trump tariffs before rumored Biden China decision

The White House defended President Joe Biden from his criticism of former President Donald Trump for slapping tariffs on Chinese imports before an expected announcement about levies of his own.

“We have always had concerns on China’s unfair trade policies,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday. “We have been very clear about that, and the last administration, when they did a trade deal with China, what it did is it failed to increase American exports or boost manufacturing.”

Jean-Pierre, who criticized China for playing “by a different set of rules” by “flooding markets with artificially cheap products to wipe out the competition,” said Biden was “all about protecting American workers, protecting American businesses.”

Earlier in the briefing, national security adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated that Biden was “concerned” by China introducing “a series of non-market distorting practices in strategic sectors,” which undermine U.S. workers and businesses. Sullivan would not comment on how the administration is preparing for a potential backlash by China.

“He has said consistently, ‘I’m gonna stand up and push back against that,’” Sullivan added of Biden.

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Biden is reportedly considering imposing tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles, semiconductors, solar equipment, and medical supplies, with electric vehicle tariffs tipped to increase from 25% to 100%. Critics contend the tariffs could increase prices for domestic consumers amid persistent inflation and Biden’s climate goals.

Biden described Trump’s China tariffs as “an abuse of policy” in 2019.