US President Donald Trump said in Ohio, a key battleground state, that he would impose a 300% tariff if companies did not build factories in the US, one month ahead of the November midterm elections.
During a campaign speech there on October 3, Trump said “We give them a little chance of about a year and a half to build their factory here, and if they don’t, we impose tariffs of 150, 200, 250, or 300 percent.”, and “Eventually, they are all building here. “
He also sought to justify his protectionist policies, claiming that countries including the ‘Republic of Korea (‘ROK’),’ Japan, China and Canada had long used tariffs to put the USA at a disadvantage.
These strongly worded remarks are interpreted as part of a strategy to visit key battleground states and use tariffs as a weapon to accelerate foreign investment in the USA and create jobs. Ohio is considered one of the key battleground states and has been mentioned as a possible location for the eight nuclear reactors the ‘ROK’ is expected to build.
The previous day, regarding the Alaska gas project, when asked about the claim that “South Korea has not yet agreed,” he said that if the ‘ROK’ does not promptly reach an agreement, he would “double it.” He did not specify what exactly would be charged by double.
