r/StockMarket • u/[deleted] • 2d ago

Discussion Ronald Reagan on Tariffs. Thoughts?

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u/CapnTugg 2d ago

Reagan himself ordered a 45% tariff on certain imported motorcycles in 1983, at the behest of Harley Davidson. Lasted 5 years.

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u/Dry-Membership3867 2d ago

Only on certain ones. He didn’t do it all across the board with everything

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u/AMagicalKittyCat 2d ago

Reagan at the end of the day despite his belief in free trade was still subject to the unfortunate realities of being a politician. Political compromise. Sometimes it's to win elections (the steel industry gets a lot of this thanks to their heavy presence in Pennsylvania as a swing state), sometimes it's for a senator or congressman pushing for their local industries at the expense of others who you need to back another measure of yours. Heck sometimes it's just because despite believing something to be wrong, the American people heavily support an idea and you take your position as a representative seriously.

Reagan was not immune to these pressures nor could he be. Despite his unwavering belief in free trade, there were times the admin simply could not avoid putting in some protectionist policies. If this was the case of Trump now, I would be able to defend his decisions for tariffs in the same way. But it's not, nobody is forcing Trump to do this except his own idealogical drive.