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Former U.S. Trade Representative Roy Kirk, who served in the Obama administration, has criticized President Donald Trump’s trade negotiations, warning that his aggressive style is creating confusion and hardship for American exporters. The Chaos Is ‘Driving Them Nuts’ According to Kirk, Trump's pattern of threatening tariffs and then retreating after market backlash is doing more harm than good. “The president will be spooked by something, get a little bit upset, threaten more tariffs,” he said, adding that in the case of a negative reaction in the markets, he will then announce that “we’re on the precipice of a deal,” Kirk said, during his appearance on CNBC’s Squawk Box on Monday. See Also: Ronald Reagan ‘Didn’t Love Tariffs,’ Says Economist Paul Krugman: He Repeatedly Emphasized ‘The Virtues of Free Trade’ Kirk said that the unpredictable nature of U.S. trade policy under Trump is causing a lot of frustration among American companies that are trying to plan for the future. The consequences of Trump’s “macho” trade tactics are being felt by ordinary exporters. “They're having to pay the price for this macho,” he said, citing the examples of soy farmers, cattle farmers and other small businesses. “Over 90% of US exporters are small businesses and family-owned businesses. And this is just driving them nuts trying to figure out what the rules of the road are going to be,” Kirk said. While markets may be resilient, Kirk warned that stability, not just headlines, is what U.S. exporters need. “Even those businesses that want to make these investments in the US, they want some idea of what the rules of the road are going to be,” he said. Small Business Owners Facing Bankruptcy Due To Tariffs Recently, a small business owner shared their experience under Trump’s tariff regime on Reddit, explaining how they had made their operations untenable. “We rely on something that can only be purchased from China or India, both of which countries have insane tariffs,” they said, adding that they were now losing money on every sale. They also questioned Republican free-market credentials, saying, “I thought Republicans were free market?” Several small business owners on the platform have since shared their own experiences, involving skyrocketing input prices, canceled contracts, and looming bankruptcies. Read More: Jim Farley Says Trump Tariffs Eating Into Over 20% Of Ford’s Global Profit: Thinks Chinese Companies Are Like 80s Japanese Automakers ‘On Steroids’ Photo courtesy: IAB Studio on Shutterstock.com
