Trump defends ordering companies to leave China
Shoppers browse goods for sale at a discount retailer in a shopping mall in Beijing, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. China has announced it will raise tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. products in retaliation for President Donald Trump’s planned Sept. 1 duty increase in a war over trade and technology policy. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump is pushing back against those questioning whether he has the authority to order American companies to cut trade ties with China.
Trump on Friday morning tweeted that he “hereby ordered” U.S. companies to seek alternatives to doing business in China. The White House did not cite what authority the president could use to force private businesses to change their practices.
But at midnight, as he was flying to France, the president tweeted again, saying that those who “don’t have a clue” about presidential powers should look at the Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977. He added, “Case closed!”
The law says the president is authorized “to regulate international commerce after declaring a national emergency” if there is an “extraordinary threat” to the nation.
