WASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump's claim that he has brought in "hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars" from China through tariffs has been repeatedly rebutted by economists who note that the tariffs are actually paid by U.S.-based importers, not China or its businesses.
But Trump may be well aware of this and be touting the "foreigners are paying" logic anyway while working on a gradual transition away from the income tax and toward a consumption tax, some observers say.
