Gov. Brian Kemp continues to support President Trump’s trade war with China.
He spoke in Peachtree Corners to a group of Vietnamese-American small business-owners Monday at an event sponsored by Trump’s reelection campaign. Much of the discussion revolved around contentment with the current strength of the economy, but one question asked how the tariffs flying back and forth between the U.S. and China might dampen that growth.
Kemp said he’s heard from Georgia companies that are both hurting and benefiting from the tariffs. He argued China has been “taking advantage of us” a long time and said he believes the government waited too long to “fight this battle.”
“I think we have to continue to trust the President, Senator [David] Perdue, Secretary [Sonny] Perdue, really the whole team he’s got working on that,” Kemp responded. “The one thing I have heard is most people know why we’re in the trade war.”
Both countries are threatening to further increase taxes on imported goods this fall. Chinese tariffs have already hit some of Georgia’s biggest industries: peanuts, pecans and poultry.
“I remain hopeful that a lot of this that’s gone on recently is just posturing. And the president said over the weekend they were back to the negotiating table,” he said. “I’m very optimistic about where we are, and we’ve just got to continue to fight on through until they get a trade deal done.”
Kemp added in the meantime he wants Georgia to be prepared, so he has ordered across-the-board budget cuts at state agencies.
“What I’m trying to do … while we’re going through this, is keep Georgia positioned being fiscally conservative with our budgeting; making government more efficient,” he said.
Tim Le is a first-generation Vietnamese-American who owns Atlanta Maxim Realty International, a real estate brokerage and investment company. He said he hopes the trade war will force Georgia to look to other countries like Vietnam for economic development and manufacturing.
“I think this is a great opportunity for the United States and for the state of Georgia to diversify. To look at other sources so we don’t have to go through this,” he said.
“Vietnam is not being looked at,” he said of Georgia’s economic development initiatives.
