TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Vice President Jusuf Kalla is confident that Donald Trump’s economic policy will not be the same as he had promised throughout his U.S. Presidential campaign. Jusuf Kalla argues that a protectionist policy will only harm the citizen of the United States itself.

Reviewing Trump’s promises throughout his campaign, Kalla said, it showed that Donald Trump is very protective with their own interests. “All presidents should be like that, but for the U.S. that adapts a liberal economy, I’m confident that what he said in his campaign will not be easily implemented 100 percent," the vice president said on Friday, January 20, 2017.

Jusuf Kalla was responding to a question related to Indonesia’s stand during the inauguration of 45th United States President, Donald Trump, that will be held today.

Related to Trump’s plan to impose a 45 percent import duty for Chinese products, Kalla thinks that it would be difficult to realize. “The US citizens themselves would be the first to protest because they would experience a price hike that would decrease their purchasing ability.”

VP Jusuf Kalla provided examples of U.S. based stores such as Walmart that sells 90 percent Chinese products; the clothes, shoes, tableware, iPhone, and iPod. If those products are taxed up to 45 percent, the U.S. citizens would have to pay an expensive price. “It isn’t easy to implement that [policy].”

In relation to Trump’s plan to build a wall throughout the Mexican border, Jusuf Kalla said: “Who would work in farms in California or Texas, no American work like that anymore.”

AMIRULLAH SUHADA