Protectionists always argue that free trade hurts the poor. Professor Mankiw quotes the US Treasury Secretary Paulson as the US battles its own rising sentiment of protectionism:
Thus trade helps Americans provide for their families. When special interests seek protection in the name of low-wage workers, we should acknowledge that limitations on imports do not benefit the vast majority of Americans. They deny people the freedom to choose from a broader array of goods and services, and impose a cruel tax on people who rely on low prices to stretch their family budgets. The cost of protectionism falls most heavily on those who are least able to afford it — the poor and the elderly.
It should be noted that free trade means absence of trade-distorting policies which include tariffs and subsidies.
