CNN International host Richard Quest waved his shoe at Scott Jennings during a showdown over their differing takes on President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs.
Quest and the token CNN Republican disagreed on what type of jobs will be drawn to the U.S. as a result of Trump’s blanket 10 percent—and in many cases higher—levies on dozens of countries. Quest said that low-skilled jobs are not what the country needs, using his shoe to illustrate his point.
“America needs high-paying, high skilled, digital new age, A.I.-based economy,” he began. “What he’s [Trump] talking about bringing back is old stuff.”
He then pulled off his shoe and brandished it, to the amusement of the panel. “Basically, look. Here is a shoe. It’s my shoe, right? It is made in China. You talked about these luxury products. But you take your shoe off and see where it’s made.
“Made in China, made in Vietnam. This is going to be 34 percent more expensive. It’s an ordinary shoe bought in a discount store.”
In Trump’s gameshow-style announcement of his latest tariffs on Wednesday, he slapped a duty of 34 percent on China.
Jennings had said Trump’s sweeping levies on dozens of countries, which sent global markets into turmoil, could end up being “the ballsiest and gutsiest thing a president has done in decades.”
He added however, that if the move doesn’t work, “the political consequences fall on the shoulders of one man.”
Quest passionately asserted that it is “the whole world” that faces the “economic consequences,” however. “This is an experiment that should not have been taking place,” he added.
Jennings said Trump campaigned on the promise of tariffs, but Quest said no one expected the level of “madness.” He then added: “This is economic vandalism!”
He then cited the non-partisan research organization The Peterson Institute for International Economics. Quest said research from the group, and Trump’s own comments, suggested that the jobs that “are going to come back are the jobs that America doesn’t need.”
He then launched into his colorful explanation of the point, shoe and all.
