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Collateral damage in the trade war

It is one of the truths of modern warfare that the politicians and generals who run the war are usually far behind the front lines, where the privates take the risks and suffer the damage.

And so it is with the trade war that President Donald Trump has started with China and other trading partners around the world. Trump promised before he was elected that he would solve our trade imbalances with countries like China, protecting American jobs and industries. Now he is trying to keep that promise by imposing tarrifs on steel and aluminum and other goods we get from around the world. China has responded by proposing tariffs on things we export to them, like pork and soybeans.

Trump, tweeting from the White House and his Florida club, won’t feel the pain, but the Midwest farmers who grow the soybeans and raise the hogs and rely on foreign trade for their living, will take the hit.

The best generals and commanders care deeply about the welfare of their troops on the front line and weigh the sacrifices that they have make against the objective. It is a tough decision. We wonder if Trump has considered how a trade war will impact the farmers and rural residents who rely on their economy?

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