Trump Tariff Exemption Process Shows Political Favoritism

| Importance: 8/10 | Status: confirmed

Academic study of over 7,000 tariff exemption requests finds firms with political connections to Trump, especially those donating to Trump or Republican causes, had significantly higher approval rates, while those linked to Democrats were more often denied. Internal government audits describe the 2018 exclusion program as “neither transparent nor objective,” overwhelmed by lobbying and informal backdoor appeals.

Key Actors

Donald Trump Trump Administration Veljko Fotak Hye Seung Grace Lee William Megginson Jesus Salas

Tags

tariffs corruption crony-capitalism trade-policy political-favoritism

Sources (3)

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