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The methodology utilized to determine these tariffs drew significant scrutiny. Critics highlighted a lack of clarity regarding how Trump arrived at these numbers, with some speculating that calculations amounted to little more than dividing trade deficits by export values in ways that lack economic rationale.
A Misleading Formula
Interestingly, the arithmetic behind the tariff designations seemed more convoluted than precise. The administration’s presented data equated trade deficits with tariff rates, a calculation viewed by economists as nonsensical. Industry leaders took to the airwaves to express their disbelief, with some calling the rationale behind the tariffs incomprehensible and evidence of "staggering stupidity."