White House to showcase US products as trade battles loom

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will showcase American-made products ranging from beef jerky and cowboy boots to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 fighter jet on Monday, as his administration wages trade battles on a series of fronts.

A White House spokeswoman said on Sunday that Trump would make remarks at the exhibit designed to demonstrate the administration’s “commitment to ensuring more products are made in America.” Vice President Mike Pence, six Cabinet secretaries, and some dozen other senior officials will also attend.

The US Commerce Department held a hearing on Thursday into its investigation over whether imported vehicles and parts pose a national security risk. All major automakers, including Ford Motor Co, which will have an F-150 pickup truck on display at the White House exhibit, oppose imposing vehicle and parts tariffs of up to 25 percent.

Trump said on Friday he was ready to impose tariffs on all $500 billion of imported goods from China, threatening to escalate a clash over trade policy that has unnerved financial markets. Washington has already imposed 25 percent duties on $34 billion of Chinese imports and threatened 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods. China has retaliated on $34 billion of US goods.

Citing national security, Washington imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from the European Union, Canada, and Mexico on June 1.

On Wednesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with Trump. EU officials have dampened expectations about what Juncker can achieve.

The finance ministers for Mexico and Canada said on Sunday they were optimistic about NAFTA talks with the United States, even as trade tensions spurred by U.S. tariffs dominated the G20 meeting of world economic leaders in Argentina.

Other products to be displayed at the White House on Monday include Wiffle balls and bats from Connecticut, Viking Range LLC stoves from Mississippi and Moon Pies sweets from Tennessee.

Lockheed Martin, which will display a model of the F-35 on the White House lawn, will also showcase the Orion Spacecraft, “the cornerstone of NASA’s future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond,” the company said.