⏱ 3 minute read
The Biden administration made a splash in May when it slapped a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. The administration’s goal with such a tariff was to protect American companies, jobs, and the overall green industrial policy Mr. Biden hopes will win him points with voters worried that the globe is hurtling toward an ecological apocalypse.
But the real motivation for the tariffs has always been political. Biden said:
“Folks, look: I’m determined that the future of electric vehicles will be made in America, by union workers, period…”
That’s politician-speak for “I’m doing it to win union votes in November.”
A funny thing about tariffs that Biden, his hangers-on, and the claque surrounding his green industrial policy….China just upped the ante on all of them. In the process, it exposed the material weakness of Biden’s populist agenda.
The catalyst was an announcement from the Chinese automaker BYD that it had designed, built, tested, and readied (for its domestic market) a new gas/electric hybrid that could travel up to 1250 miles on a single tank of gas/electric charge.
And cost about $14,000:
The longer range means some of BYD’s dual-mode plug-in electric hybrid cars can cover the equivalent of Singapore to Bangkok, New York to Miami, or Munich to Madrid on each charge and full tank of gas. The milestone marks BYD’s latest achievement in slashing fuel consumption since introducing its first hybrids in 2008.
This is a Big Deal – even if we take the range and price points with a grain or three of salt.
While this cheap, long-haul hybrid isn’t for sale outside China – yet – it immediately shows what’s possible. Sure it’s not a full electric. But that market appear, for now, to have topped out. Hybrids – the mid-point between all gas and all electric – are the new growth area. Detroit automakers are dusting off their shelved hybrid models to meet demand.
BYD has set the bar for range and price. The market will force them to meet these expectations. Or it would, if the Biden administration’s protectionist tariff didn’t stand in the way.
But that’s what tariffs do: they protect domestic manufacturers from cheaper, and often better, goods from abroad. Domestic consumers pay far more for shoddier products…while the businesses being protected get richer and lose any incentive to improve their wares.
That’s the U.S. market Biden’s tariffs will create – all to help him win a few extra votes on election day.
And to be clear, Donald Trump said Biden didn’t raise the tariffs enough.
Ultimately, both men see no problem with bleeding U.S. consumers if it makes their friends (and voters) in the protected industries happier (and richer).
Even if BYD doesn’t sell a single one of its long-range hybrids outside China, its action helps expose the sham economics behind protectionism…while also showing how little the major parties care about how much the average American consumer has to suffer.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: Politicians Look To Insert Themselves Into Artificial Intelligence Advances
Norman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.
Biden’s Attempts At Protectionism Are Nothing More Than An Election-Year Red Herring
Treasury Secretary Clarifies Threat Against Bill Pulte
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent acknowledged Wednesday that he threatened to “kick ass” during a heated confrontation last year, while firmly denying reports that he threatened to punch the now-acting Director of National Intelligence “in the face.”
The unusual exchange emerged during a Senate Finance Committee hearing, where Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) pressed Bessent about reports surrounding a confrontation between the two Trump administration officials during the summer of 2025.
According to Bessent, one key detail in the widely circulated account was inaccurate.
While he denied threatening.
Seijah Drake
Seijah Drake was born in Boston, MA, where she developed a penchant for writing early on and a passion for politics in college. After college she worked briefly for a conservative media in New York before relocating to the Greater D.C. Area to pursue a career in political marketing. She now resides in the free state of Florida.
GOP-Led House Approves Iran War Powers Resolution In Rebuke To Trump
Six Thousand Complaints, 27 Investigations: The Federal Whistleblower Shield Exposed
California Tech CEO Arrested For Allegedly Supplying US Equipment To Iran’s Nuclear Program
Ohio Supreme Court Decision Could Affect Thousands Seeking Firearm Rights
The Biden administration made a splash in May when it slapped a 100 percent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles. The administration’s goal with such a tariff was to protect American companies, jobs, and the overall green industrial policy Mr. Biden hopes will win him points with voters worried that the globe is hurtling toward an ecological apocalypse.
But the real motivation for the tariffs has always been political. Biden said:
That’s politician-speak for “I’m doing it to win union votes in November.”
A funny thing about tariffs that Biden, his hangers-on, and the claque surrounding his green industrial policy….China just upped the ante on all of them. In the process, it exposed the material weakness of Biden’s populist agenda.
The catalyst was an announcement from the Chinese automaker BYD that it had designed, built, tested, and readied (for its domestic market) a new gas/electric hybrid that could travel up to 1250 miles on a single tank of gas/electric charge.
And cost about $14,000:
This is a Big Deal – even if we take the range and price points with a grain or three of salt.
While this cheap, long-haul hybrid isn’t for sale outside China – yet – it immediately shows what’s possible. Sure it’s not a full electric. But that market appear, for now, to have topped out. Hybrids – the mid-point between all gas and all electric – are the new growth area. Detroit automakers are dusting off their shelved hybrid models to meet demand.
BYD has set the bar for range and price. The market will force them to meet these expectations. Or it would, if the Biden administration’s protectionist tariff didn’t stand in the way.
But that’s what tariffs do: they protect domestic manufacturers from cheaper, and often better, goods from abroad. Domestic consumers pay far more for shoddier products…while the businesses being protected get richer and lose any incentive to improve their wares.
That’s the U.S. market Biden’s tariffs will create – all to help him win a few extra votes on election day.
And to be clear, Donald Trump said Biden didn’t raise the tariffs enough.
Ultimately, both men see no problem with bleeding U.S. consumers if it makes their friends (and voters) in the protected industries happier (and richer).
Even if BYD doesn’t sell a single one of its long-range hybrids outside China, its action helps expose the sham economics behind protectionism…while also showing how little the major parties care about how much the average American consumer has to suffer.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
READ NEXT: Politicians Look To Insert Themselves Into Artificial Intelligence Advances
Norman Leahy
Norman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.
Norman Leahy
Norman Leahy has written about national and Virginia politics for more than 30 years with outlets ranging from The Washington Post to BearingDrift.com. A consulting writer, editor, recovering think tank executive and campaign operative, Norman lives in Virginia.
GOP-Led House Approves Iran War Powers Resolution In Rebuke To Trump
Search
follow us
subscribe
Trending Stories
Six Thousand Complaints, 27 Investigations: The Federal Whistleblower Shield Exposed
For the better part of a decade, theChina’s Fifth Column Doesn’t Require Troops Or Missiles
A jury is a modest institution. Twelve citizensDC Police Faked Crime Data And Now Congress Is Investigating
Congressional investigators are now looking into reports thatTrump’s AI Export Policy Faces Scrutiny As Chinese Military-Linked Labs Seek Access
PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): China labs, with military links,Commentary
Six Thousand Complaints, 27 Investigations: The Federal Whistleblower Shield Exposed
China’s Fifth Column Doesn’t Require Troops Or Missiles
DC Police Faked Crime Data And Now Congress Is Investigating
Trump’s AI Export Policy Faces Scrutiny As Chinese Military-Linked Labs Seek Access
Security
Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Warship, St. Petersburg Oil Terminal During Economic Forum
Los Alamos Employee Found Dead As Investigators Continue Examining Other Disappearances
US Considers Expanding NATO Nuclear-Sharing Program Into Eastern Europe: Report
Trump Names Housing Finance Leader Bill Pulte As Acting DNI
Foreign Affairs
California Tech CEO Arrested For Allegedly Supplying US Equipment To Iran’s Nuclear Program
Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Warship, St. Petersburg Oil Terminal During Economic Forum
French Left-Wing Leader Claims France Was Never A White Or Christian Nation
US Considers Expanding NATO Nuclear-Sharing Program Into Eastern Europe: Report
Business & economics
Insider Trading Investigation Launched Into Ex-Congressman George Santos
No, Matt Walsh, 50,000 People In Lake Tahoe Aren’t Losing Power Because Of Data Centers
Treasury Department Proposes Commemorative $250 Bill Featuring Trump Portrait
Report: Billionaire Republican Businessman Flees America Amid Rising Taxes
heath & science
Los Alamos Employee Found Dead As Investigators Continue Examining Other Disappearances
How Ken Paxton Finally Brought Texas Children’s Hospital To Justice
Longtime Florida Democrat Frederica Wilson To Retire From Congress
Trump Team Reportedly Moving Ebola-Exposed Americans To Kenya
American Liberty Arms
GunTuber Legend Dugan Ashley Arrested By Feds: Free Speech Concerns, And What It Could Mean For Content Creators
NRA, FPC, SAF Sue Maryland Over Glock-Style Handgun Ban
Virginia Officials Rebel: Sheriffs And Prosecutors Refuse To Enforce New Gun Ban
Pakistan Deploys Thousands Of Troops, Jet Fighter Squadron To Saudi Arabia
At American Liberty News, we eschew the mainstream media’s tightly controlled narrative to provide our readers with real news, real insights, and the means to take action. We seek out insightful coverage – and partner with knowledgeable and experienced people and organizations to bring you the information and insight our readers demand.
We humbly seek to provide the tools and information necessary for our readers to decide for themselves what is true and what is right.
TOP TAGS
TOP CATEGORIES
FEATURES
American Liberty News ©2024
Evolution Digital Media
1900 Reston Metro Plz
Suite 600
Reston, VA 20190