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As Donald Trump’s tariff policies rocked global markets and raise concerns about a possible recession, the president spoke to reporters Monday about his motivations — and why he believes his radical tactics are justified.
“[I]t’s not only tariffs, it’s non-monetary tariffs,” the Republican said in the Oval Office. “It’s tariffs where they put things on that make it impossible for you to sell a car. It’s not a money thing. They make it so difficult, the standards and the tests. They drop a bowling ball on the top of your car from 20 feet up in the air, and if there’s a little dent, they say, ‘No, I’m sorry, your car doesn’t qualify.’”
If that sounds at all familiar, there’s a good reason for that.
Almost exactly seven years ago, Trump appeared at a fundraiser and described gimmicks that, according to the president, Japan used to deny U.S. auto companies access to its consumers.
“It’s called ‘the bowling ball test,’” the president said. “Do you know what that is? That’s where they take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and they drop it on the hood of the car. And if the hood dents, then the car doesn’t qualify. Well, guess what, the roof dented a little bit, and they said, ‘Nope, this car doesn’t qualify.’ It’s horrible, the way we’re treated. It’s horrible.”
Soon after, when reporters asked the White House what in the world he was talking about, then-press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “Obviously, he’s joking.”
Seven years later, it’s obvious he wasn’t joking. In fact, a White House official told The Washington Post at the time that Trump “frequently” mentioned the bowling ball test in meetings, for reasons that no one understood.
In 2018, the Post’s Philip Bump explored a variety of possible explanations, including referencing a Nissan television ad (the president does love watching TV) in which bowling balls hit a car. Did Trump see the commercial and get confused? Your guess is as good as mine.
To be sure, regulatory barriers are a real issue, including in the automotive industry, and Japan really did put some barriers in place for auto imports. As the late, great Kevin Drum explained several years ago, the Obama administration managed to persuade Japan to make it easier for American auto manufacturers to reach the Japanese market as part of negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Almost immediately after taking office, Trump killed the TPP — and soon after started talking up a bowling ball test that has never existed. The story has not improved with age.
This post updates our related earlier coverage.