John Deere Says Trump’s Tariff Threat Did Not Save U.S. Jobs, Dismissing His Claims As Entirely Fictional

John Deere has publicly dismissed Donald Trump‘s claims that his tariff threats kept jobs in the U.S., calling them entirely fictional.

At a recent event, Trump told a story suggesting that John Deere had changed its mind about moving production to Mexico due to his proposed tariffs. However, a company spokesperson, speaking to The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News, confirmed that no such decision or announcement had been made.

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Trump’s statement, which came during an interview at the Economic Club of Chicago, was framed as a victory for American jobs. He boasted that the heavy machinery company had backtracked on plans to open factories in Mexico after he threatened to block their U.S. sales.

“They announced about a year ago they’re probably not going to build the plants,” Trump told the audience. “I kept the jobs here.” However, no corroboration existed in recent news articles or corporate news releases.

The Trump campaign did not provide proof to support this claim in response to inquiries. The incident is the latest in a series of disputed stories told by the former president. According to fact-checkers, Trump’s statements at the event contained at least 19 false claims, including assertions about immigration statistics and the Jan. 6 Capitol riots. 

He also inaccurately portrayed inflation rates during his and President Joe Biden’s administrations.

Despite his claims of economic protectionism benefiting U.S. workers, several studies have consistently shown that tariffs, particularly those imposed by Trump, hurt American consumers and businesses more than their intended targets. 

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A CBS report emphasized that importers, not foreign companies, typically bear the cost of tariffs, driving up prices for everyday goods. While Trump insists that his tariffs collected “hundreds of billions of dollars from China alone,” the reality is far more nuanced. The Congressional Research Service has repeatedly found that American companies, not China, paid most of those costs.

Many economists also argue that Trump’s tariffs failed to deliver on their promise to bring back manufacturing jobs. According to research from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the tariffs imposed on steel and aluminum, for example, led to price hikes that harmed U.S. manufacturers more than they helped.

John Deere, whose name Trump invoked in his recent remarks, has continued with its global expansion strategy without indicating that it will halt production shifts.

These claims are not new. Trump’s narrative often revolves around depicting decisive action, but the facts tell a different story. 

His assertion that no other president had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods is easily debunked – tariffs on Chinese imports have been in place since 1789 and recent administrations, including Barack Obama’s, have implemented additional tariffs where necessary.

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