WASHINGTON — In a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, President Donald Trump doubled down on his proposal for furniture-specific tariffs, saying the measures will help bring back U.S. manufacturing jobs, particularly in North Carolina.
“Look at the world of furniture, as an example, (in) North Carolina. I went there many times when I built a lot of hotels and things. And I’d go to North Carolina, I’d buy the greatest (furniture). They were the greatest, most talented people,” Trump said in remarks to the media.
“And then China came along and took all of those jobs away. If they would have tariffed them, China wouldn’t have taken any of the jobs,” Trump continued.
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Trump also claimed that previous administrations had failed to protect U.S. furniture makers. “We had presidents that honestly — and I like some of them — didn’t know what the hell they were doing from a business standpoint.”
Praising North Carolina’s craftsmanship, Trump described workers as “artists” capable of building fine, custom furniture. “I’d say, I’d like to have a rail in that chair, maybe. Can you fancy it up a little? … It was like they were artists. They were unbelievable, and that business was stolen from us by others. Not only (by) China, but by others.”
Trump pledged that new tariffs would restore those jobs. “We’re going to rebuild North Carolina furniture … (by enacting) a very substantial tariff. We’ve already announced it, and it’ll be done pretty quickly,” he said. “It’s going to be a beautiful thing to see. It’s going to happen like magic.”
Following Trump’s remarks, shares of several major furniture retailers who rely heavily on imports — including Wayfair, RH and Williams-Sonoma — slipped in trading, while La-Z-Boy, which manufactures largely in the U.S., gained, according to MSN.
