Trump claims boosting tariffs will pay for child care but doesn’t explain how

Asked at an economic forum Thursday how he would make child care more affordable, former President Donald Trump responded that his plan to hike tariffs would raise enough revenue, without explaining how that would help families.

Asked at an economic forum Thursday how he would make child care more affordable, former President Donald Trump responded that his plan to hike tariffs would raise enough revenue, without explaining how that would help families. “We are going to be taking in trillions of dollars. And as much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it is relatively speaking not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in,” he said in remarks at the Economic Club of New York. “We’re going to make this into an incredible country that can afford to take care of its people.” Trump dodged answering the question posed by Reshma Saujani, founder of Moms First and Girls Who Code, who asked what specific legislation he would back to make child care more affordable. She prefaced her question by noting that Trump had spoken about the price increases for food, gas and rent, but said, “The real cost that’s breaking families backs and preventing women from participating in the workforce is child care.” The former president acknowledged that child care is “a very important issue” and that “in this country, you have to have it.” Throughout his speech, Trump touted that his economic platform – especially tariffs – would promote explosive growth and solve the nation’s financial woes. He has proposed slapping a 60% tariff on imports from China and a 10% across-the-board tariff on imports from other countries, which he has said he might hike to 20% on most imports. However, some economists fear higher tariffs could raise prices, hurt the economy and set off an international trade war.