Like a broken clock, on rare occasions, even leftists can get things right. Right now, the World Economic Forum is in session in Davos, Switzerland, with all the major countries in attendance.
Trade policies and deals are being hashed out as we speak, but the Trump administration isn’t waiting for the forum’s end, as it’s just announced a common sense, yet contentious new tariff that’s shockingly supported by the disgraced Al Gore.
As reported at the Daily Caller, in an admittedly rare occurrence, former Vice President Gore said he supports Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on solar cells and modules.
“I don’t typically defend him,” Gore said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. On Monday, Trump announced that a new 30 percent tariff will be imposed on imported cells and modules used to make solar panels that would decrease over time. While the solar industry has lobbied against the policy, no matter how you slice it, the tariff is a moderate move.
“I will say in this case it did not start with him,” Gore said. “This was a trade action brought by private companies. They chose a kind of a midpoint in the range of alternatives.”
“Could have been handled differently, should have been handled differently, but it’s not an utter catastrophe,” Gore said. Talk about an incredibly back-handed compliment and obvious attempt to give the president as little credit as possible.
China is the world’s largest solar panel producer thanks to the absurd amount of money the government pours into the industry.
While Gore did not agree with the tariffs, he did admit that generous Chinese solar panel subsidies have facilitated the bankruptcy of American companies.
“The large subsidies from China for exporting solar panels has put some other companies in the world out of business,” Gore said. The cheaper Chinese-made panels are artificially out-competing the US/European ones precisely because what Gore pointed out. The authoritarian, communist government of China is propping up their industry and decimating ours in the process. If solar’s ever to began a viable clean energy solution, then we need to protect our own goods from the deflated, economic warfare of the Chinese so the industry has a chance to grow or fail on its own.
Source: Daily Caller