Baidu.com Inc (BIDU)

[mick]

Trump’s directive sets a 180-day period of negotiations. The goal? “Domestic conditions of competition must be improved by reducing imports,” the proclamation stated. The stroke of this pen did more than delay tariffs. It escalated tensions by saying that auto imports are a threat to national security and “American-owned” producers. Toyota responded with a rare rebuke, saying Trump’s proclamation “sends a message to Toyota that our investments are not welcomed, and the contributions from each of our employees across America are not valued.” Consumer will pay more and have fewer vehicle choices if import quotas are imposed, the automaker said.