Wilbur Ross’s ghostly visage materialized on Fox Business Tuesday morning to talk shop with Maria Bartiromo.
It’s still something of a mystery why Donald Trump keeps Wilbur around and otherwise dispatches him to the networks. He’s not the most ardent hawk (i.e., he’s not Peter Navarro) and even if he was, he’s not animated enough to express it in a way that would resonate with anyone. But he’s not a dove either, which means he absolutely can’t jawbone markets higher when necessary like Larry Kudlow.
If anything, Wilbur’s TV cameos just serve to muddy already murky waters, and because he has an annoying (if you’re the White House) habit of accidentally telling the truth about the generally hopeless state of the Sino-US trade talks, he’s usually a real bummer (to speak colloquially).
“We’re within inches, maybe millimeters of a deal”, Ross said of the USMCA. “I think the remarkable thing is that it took so long to make such small changes. If effect [the Democrats] gave Trumka veto power over the House of Representatives, that seems weird”.
He’s right. It does seem “weird” when you put it that way, but he is, of course, exaggerating. Ross was referring to Monday’s news that with AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka’s approval, the USMCA is set to go forward.
Read more: Dems To Give Trump USMCA Win Despite Impeachment Probe
As far as the China deal goes, Ross underscored that getting a “good deal” is more important than getting something done fast, and noted that the “Phase One” agreement will “leave most of the hard issues for later”. He also claimed that America’s bargaining position gets stronger over time. The veracity of that contention is wholly dependent on the stock market and the incoming data. When US equities are rising and the economy is firm, Wilbur is probably right. Otherwise, he’s incorrect. Starting in January, the election and the polls will play a bigger and bigger role in determining how much leverage Trump has with Xi.
Asked by Bartiromo if the USMCA is, in fact, one of Trump’s biggest achievements, Ross employed a bit of Trumpian bombast.
“This is the largest trade deal in the history, not just in the US, but as far as I can tell of the whole world”, he said.
And Wilbur would know. After all, he’s 7,567 years old next month.
