A UCLA economics professor told an audience in downtown San Diego that Donald Trump’s proposed policies on trade and immigration give him “really, really low” chances of delivering on his promise to create 25 million U.S. jobs during the next 10 years.
Lee E. Ohanian, who served as an economic policy advisor to former Republican presidential candidates John McCain, Mitt Romney and Jeb Bush, criticized Trump’s proposals to erect new barriers to international trade and restrict immigration.
Speaking at the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Jan. 18 Cross-Border Vision for 2017 Luncheon, Ohanian said Trump’s comments on trade have given his supporters a “false sense of hope,” and that “the train of economic globalization has left the station.”
Instead of taking a protectionist stance, he said, the United States should invest in educational and capital infrastructure, thereby boosting its international competitiveness.
“Economic openness is really everyone’s friend,” he said.
Ohanian also advocated for increasing immigration among highly skilled foreign residents. He said the United States faces a shortage of workers as baby boomers retire, and that with U.S. entrepreneurship declining, immigrants are generally well suited to fill the gap.
He said he was encouraged, however, because Trump appears to be a person who is open to changing his mind.
“If we go down the road of closing things off, it’ll be obvious it’s a mistake,” he said.
