Opinion | Under Joe Biden, average Americans will remain at the heart of US trade policy
- US attitudes towards free trade have shifted dramatically
- A Biden administration would not declare trade wars but would continue to prioritise workers and US manufacturing in its trade policy
US President Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Joseph Biden differ in many ways. But in trade policy, their differences are considerably less pronounced. In at least some areas, there is likely to be a fair amount of continuity in trade policy under a prospective Biden administration.
Three issues illustrate where the key similarities and differences are likely to lie.
First, a cornerstone of Trump’s trade policy is the belief that the United States needs a worker-based approach to trade. The objective of US trade policy – as spelt out by Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer – should not be to achieve foreign policy objectives or reap the theoretical textbook efficiencies of free trade.
Instead, it should ensure that all US citizens, including those without college degrees, can earn a stable living and have a reasonable shot at middle-class life.
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Barack Obama and Joe Biden join forces in new campaign video targeting US President Trump
Do not expect a dramatically different posture under a Biden presidency. Biden has promised to “stand up for American workers” and under his recently released “Made in America” plan, “the goal of every decision about trade must be to build the American middle class, create jobs, raise wages, and strengthen communities”.
