Gore defends Trump solar tariffs decision

Al Gore and President Donald Trump might disagree on many things, but the former vice president defended the Republican leader Thursday on his administration's recent decision to impose new tariffs on solar imports.

“I don't typically defend him. [But] I will say, in this case, it really did not start with him,” Gore said during a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “This was a trade action brought by private companies. They chose a kind of midpoint in the range of alternatives. ... It could have been handled differently, should have been handled differently, but it's not an utter catastrophe.”


Gore also said he disagreed with Trump’s position. “He believes strongly that American leaders should be embracing the growth of solar energy in the U.S.,” Gore’s communications director, Nick Conger, said in a statement later on Thursday.

Trump is also in Switzerland to participate in the annual gathering, which draws the world's wealthiest people.

Trump on Monday announced new 30 percent tariffs on solar panels, less than the 50 percent barrier he could have imposed under U.S. law. The move was seen as an attempt to satisfy his "America First" rhetoric without risking thousands of jobs that could have been eliminated if the U.S. lost access to cheap solar panels.

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The administration also imposed tariffs on washing machine imports. LG Electronic informed its retailers Wednesday that it plans to raise the prices on washing machines as a result.

"As a result of the trade situation, we will be initiating pricing actions, which will be sent under separate cover shortly," Thomas Yoon, executive vice president at LG, told the company's retail partners in a memo. "We have developed supply-chain plans to help assure a continuous supply of the best quality, most reliable laundry products on the market for your customers."

