After a night spent watching the show he loves to hate, President-elect Donald Trump woke up early Sunday morning and began making business policy on his favorite social media outlet.
This week, Trump convinced Carrier to keep between 800-1,000 jobs in Indiana, promising the air conditioning and furnace-making company $7 million in financial incentives during the next 10 years. On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted a warning to other U.S. companies who are thinking about outsourcing their jobs, saying he would impose a 35 percent tariff on their goods.
The U.S. is going to substantialy reduce taxes and regulations on businesses, but any business that leaves our country for another country,
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
fires its employees, builds a new factory or plant in the other country, and then thinks it will sell its product back into the U.S. ……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
without retribution or consequence, is WRONG! There will be a tax on our soon to be strong border of 35% for these companies ……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
wanting to sell their product, cars, A.C. units etc., back across the border. This tax will make leaving financially difficult, but…..
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
these companies are able to move between all 50 states, with no tax or tariff being charged. Please be forewarned prior to making a very …
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
expensive mistake! THE UNITED STATES IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 4, 2016
Though the Trump campaign has determined the Carrier deal was a victory, others have been quick to criticize. Sarah Palin called it “crony capitalism,” and others have said that Trump has given other companies a blueprint for how to squeeze money out of the presidential administration.
And not everybody was impressed by Trump’s early-morning tweetstorm.
Trump vows to kick the ass of companies that moves jobs out of the US. Which is opposite of what he did with Carrier. pic.twitter.com/sq0awq9HLz
— Jim Roberts (@nycjim) December 4, 2016
If tariff is specific to companies that move, they won't create jobs here in first place. Trump's vision of the economy is totally static. https://t.co/vHfZyqN2Vh
— Brendan Nyhan (@BrendanNyhan on 🟦☁️) (@BrendanNyhan) December 4, 2016
https://twitter.com/pjsykes/status/805405726764105729
The obvious implication of such an idea: anyone who does not as yet invest in the US would be reckless to start investing now. https://t.co/0bAV8mhiNh
— David Frum (@davidfrum) December 4, 2016
Also, there’s this caveat: Despite the fact Trump did save some jobs for Indianans, Carrier is still planning to send hundreds of jobs to Mexico anyway.