Trump Turns His Destructive Ire on an American Icon (Why Aren’t ALL Conservatives Concerned?)

Whose side are you on?

President Trump isn’t nearly as in tune with the “common American” as he would like us to believe.

How could he be? He was born into privilege, afforded things on his daddy’s dime that most of us have to struggle and scrape for, while getting nowhere near what he had, and has lived a penthouse existence, separated from much of the world outside.

Just because he’s got his hands in the pockets of average American citizens, by selling those overpriced ball caps at his rallies and on his website, that doesn’t give him understanding.

One for instance would be his attack on Harley-Davidson, an American icon.

On Monday, the beloved American motorcycle manufacturer announced that they would be moving some of their operations out of the United States and into Europe, in response to the trade war President Trump has felt necessary to begin with our allies abroad.

It’s not that Harley-Davidson weren’t having some issues with sales, to begin with. They’re in demand, and a status symbol for many motorcycle enthusiasts, but they’re a bit pricey and a luxury item. The ones who love them most have to do some major juggling to afford the sleek hog of their dreams.

Europe has the second highest market for Harley-Davidson motorcycles, selling nearly 40,000 of their bikes across the European Union in 2017. With Trump’s trade war, the European tariffs on exported HD motorcycles increased somewhere from 6 percent to 31 percent.

From the Associated Press on Monday:

The impact on U.S. workers because of Harley-Davidson’s decision was not immediately clear. Harley-Davidson declined interview requests Monday but said in prepared remarks that the company “maintains a strong commitment to U.S.-based manufacturing which is valued by riders globally.”

And to be clear, this isn’t a total move. It’s a partial move, in an effort to streamline their business and avoid the tariffs, so as to preserve their European market.

It’s smart business, but what it means is that a uniquely American product has ceased to be so, because of Donald Trump’s blind desire to crush our allies and embrace our foes.

On Tuesday, the president took to Twitter and went after Harley-Davidson, threatening them with language that not only showcased his lack of business acumen, but displayed his more despotic side.

And yes, I know all about his time at Wharton Business School. I’m just wondering if it’s too late for the estate of Fred Trump to be reimbursed for the tuition that was wasted.

In Tuesday morning tweets, Trump said:

“We are getting other countries to reduce and eliminate tariffs and trade barriers that have been unfairly used for years against our farmers, workers and companies. We are opening up closed markets and expanding our footprint. They must play fair or they will pay tariffs!”

“When I had Harley-Davidson officials over to the White House, I chided them about tariffs in other countries, like India, being too high. Companies are now coming back to America. Harley must know that they won’t be able to sell back into U.S. without paying a big tax!”

All of these areas are areas of American workers that are being hurt by the trade war, interestingly enough.

He’s not even finished with threatening to tank our nation’s economy. He’s also proposed a 20 percent tariff on all European cars entering the U.S.

He got in one last dig at Harley-Davidson, and if anyone is seeing this behavior and still believes he’s looking out for our best interest, just consider that in South Carolina Monday night, he attacked BMW, just a few miles away from the state’s largest employer, BMW.

A Harley-Davidson should never be built in another country-never! Their employees and customers are already very angry at them. If they move, watch, it will be the beginning of the end – they surrendered, they quit! The Aura will be gone and they will be taxed like never before!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 26, 2018

He obviously doesn’t understand it’s not a total move, but it’s still disturbing that he would so openly threaten a well-known, well-loved American brand.