MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell explains why the policy of “getting tough on China” isn’t as easy as some U.S. political figures assert.

“What’s absolutely true is that any tariff put on any product in this country is paid, not by the country that produces the product, it is paid by American consumers when they purchase that product.  Tariffs are simply sales taxes on American consumers and that’s why tariffs are almost always self-defeating. So, if a president wants to get tough with China and slap some heavy tariffs on Chinese products, the question for that president is very simple…”