It was Made in America week at the White House — because, well, if you can’t get health care done and that Russia thing won’t go away, then why not throw a theme party.
And what’s not to like about celebrating the astonishing array of goods made in the good old U.S.A. From Marine One — the Connecticut-made (Sikorsky) helicopter that ferries the president around — to made-in-Massachusetts horseshoes (St. Pierre Manufacturing), there’s much to be proud of.
Of course it does beg the question that has dogged the Trump family since the campaign. That is, the hypocrisy of Trump’s emphasis on reviving American manufacturing all the while having countless products bearing the Trump name or used at Trump resorts but made overseas.
During the campaign it was revealed that items in the Donald J. Trump Collection included suits made in Mexico, eyeglasses made in China and shirts made in Bangladesh, Honduras and Vietnam.
Even today towels in Trump hotels come from China. Items in daughter Ivanka Trump’s clothing line come from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
Yes, it’s easy to lampoon Trump family values. Ivanka likely could have some of her clothing line made here at a price — a price that would put it beyond the reach of a lot of shoppers. Those are the choices manufacturers — and consumers — make every day.
And the case for importing aluminum and steel isn’t so very different than it is for the latest Indonesian-made knits in the Ivanka collection.
This nation has a wonderful, vibrant economy because it changes with the times, because it is a hub of innovation and research and development.
Somehow the White House selection of a firm that makes horseshoes for lawn games to represent Massachusetts over, say, the innovative shoemaker New Balance — being visited today by U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan — perhaps says something about the mindset of this administration.
Celebrating what this nation does well shouldn’t mean turning our backs on the global marketplace we are a part of — or erecting needless trade barriers because some other nation can make steel or textiles more cheaply.
It’s all very nice to use the bully pulpit of the White House to promote American goods, so long as the flip side isn’t a foolish trade war that would devastate the nation’s economy.
