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No, Justin Amash Won’t Be Hurt by Tariffs on China

UNITED STATES - OCTOBER 25: Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., is interviewed by Congressional Quarterly in his Cannon Building office. (Photo By Tom Williams/Roll Call) (CQ Roll Call via AP Images)

By Steffi Cole

I cannot even begin to quantify how many people I have seen accusing Justin Amash of owning a business in China that is being hurt by Trump’s tariffs. This gossip has spread like wildfire!

Everything you read from Twitter’s blue checkmark accounts must be true, right?  Instead of playing a game of telephone, I prefer to hear things directly from the source. That’s why I went to Justin Amash’s town hall at Grand Rapids Christian High School on May 28th.  No topic was off limits.

One attendee asked the question that everyone was dying to know the answer to: “Is it true that you’ve got a factory and you make tools somewhere?”

Finally!  The moment of truth!

Amash responded with a smile, “I do not have a factory in China. I own part of our family’s business here in Michigan, so it’s in Wyoming. So, I’m a part shareholder in our family business. Our family business does less than 10 percent of its products from China.” He elaborated that, “the rest of the purchases are United States or primarily Taiwan.”

Amash acknowledged that his “brothers do own a trading company that does business in China.”  However, he stated, “I don’t own it.”

Amash didn’t just stop there. “The tariffs actually marginally help our business because our business does so little with China compared to other hand tool companies, we actually marginally benefit from the tariffs.  So, my opposition to the tariffs is actually against my interests. If I wanted to benefit, I would encourage the president to continue the tariffs because it actually helps our company in the long-run. But I don’t believe in tariffs. They’re a tax on the American people. If getting rid of the tariffs marginally hurts our business, that’s fine with me because I don’t believe in them. I believe in free markets, free trade, and we need to have more of that. That is a benefit to all Americans.”

If you are thinking perhaps I misheard, there is a livestream of the event for you to watch!  He talks about the business and tariffs at 1 hr 15 minutes.

Amash, being a principled man, has held a consistent position on tariffs all along.  Let’s take a walk down social media memory lane, shall we?

To all of you who are continuing to make accusations about Amash, tariffs, and his business in China, the ball is in your court now. I challenge you to show me the evidence. Prove it!

Steffi Cole

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