Day 799: Trump threatens to close southern border, and claims — impossibly — that the U.S. will profit

Two of Donald Trump’s favorite — and least understood — topics came together Friday. On the heels of a work day that consisted of less than an hour of actual work, Trump wanted to talk about the southern border and trade. Combining the issues, Trump threatened to close the southern border and claimed that doing so would result in a profit for the U.S. based on the trade deficit.

Honestly, that is more nonsensical than saying the U.S. would be going to the moon to lower prescription drug prices.

490,000 Mexicans legally enter the U.S. to work every day, and that’s just through Texas ports of entry. Shutting down the border would be disastrous for every business that relies on legal migrant workers to complete operations. American businesses will get dinged the moment that people fail to show up for shifts. If labor stalls, even for just a day or two, supply of goods will go down, causing prices in the U.S. to rise for consumers, as demand stays the same. Similarly, if imports from one of the U.S.’s biggest trade partners stops, American consumers will be paying more for the goods currently in the U.S.

By shutting down the border, Trump’s action would have little to no effect on illegal immigration, but would substantially harm the U.S. economy. None of this will cause anything close to a “profit-making operation.”

Trump has a fundamental misunderstand and ignorance regarding trade deficits. His policies on the southern border and desire for a wall are equally inane. For one Friday, a combination of two of Trump’s most misunderstood policies came together to create a soundbite that completely betrays Trump’s frequent claims that he has any idea about either.

799 days in, 663 to go

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