SOURCE :- THE AGE NEWS
Washington: A throwaway line from President Donald Trump about tariffs has become a lightning rod for criticism in the US, including a front-page skewering by a Murdoch-owned tabloid using a phrase Americans associate with Australia.
Asked about Washington’s engagement with Beijing amid the trade war, Trump said his tariffs were causing China tremendous difficulty because its factories were no longer selling Americans billions of dollars’ worth of unneeded goods.
Donald Trump made the remarks about the price of dolls during a cabinet meeting at the White House.Credit: AP
“Somebody said: ‘oh, the shelves are going to be open’. Well, maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they would normally. But we’re not talking about something that we have to go out of our way [to avoid],” Trump said.
“[China] have ships that are loaded up with stuff, much of which – not all of it – but much of which we don’t need.”
The comment on children having fewer dolls sparked headlines about Trump declaring war on Christmas or admitting Americans will suffer because of his trade war.
The New York Post – one of, if not Rupert Murdoch’s favourite of his papers – spoofed the president on its front page with a large image of a Barbie doll, accompanied by the headline: “Skimp on the Barbie”.
The New York Post invoked an old Tourism Australia catchphrase to skewer Donald Trump on tariffs.Credit: New York Post, Tourism Australia
It plays on the phrase “shrimp on the barbie”, which Americans still commonly associate with Australia after it featured in a series of Australian tourism commercials on US television in the 1980s with Crocodile Dundee star Paul Hogan.
“Trump admits tariffs will raise some prices, cause shortages,” the tabloid paper’s front page said.
Polls have consistently indicated Americans rate Trump’s first 100 days poorly on the economy, trade and inflation, even if they are pleased with his actions to stop illegal immigration.
Former Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders said Trump’s remarks about dolls showed arrogance and ignorance from the president and those around him.
“Billionaires like Trump and Musk do not have a clue about what it means for a working-class family trying to buy presents for the kids or to take care of the basic necessities of life,” he told CNN.
White House deputy chief of staff for policy Stephen Miller defended Trump’s line on Thursday, Washington time, saying nearly every American consumer would agree a superior US product was worth paying for.
“If you have a choice between a doll from China that might have lead paint in it, that is not as well constructed as a doll made in America … and those two products are both on Amazon, [then] yes, you probably would be willing to pay more for a better-made American product,” Miller said.
White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller said nearly every American consumer would prefer a better-made American doll.Credit: AP
“But here’s the key point: with the tax cuts, the regulation cuts, the energy price decrease and everything else that President Trump is doing to unleash this era of American prosperity … means that it will be cheaper than ever to make and manufacture in America.”
The New York Post is said to be one of Trump’s favourite newspapers and was fundamental in building his reputation as a powerful businessman and social figure in his home town, and later as a political candidate and president.
But it turned against him sharply when he was out of office, in a series of brutal front pages, before supporting him again as his grip on the Republican nomination firmed.
