Even though President Trump has a strong affinity for tariffs, Larry Kudlow, his former chief economist, described him as essentially a “free trader” during a recent interview on “Pod Force One.”
Kudlow, who directed the National Economic Council from April 2018 to the end of Trump’s first term, indicated that the president envisions a world free of trade barriers.
“Donald Trump is a free trader,” Kudlow remarked, highlighting a long-standing dialogue he’s had with Trump about this topic that began a decade ago.
“Essentially, he’s an internationalist. He’s always conducted business globally. This notion of him being isolationist is simply inaccurate,” Kudlow added. “In trade, he desires a world of zero tariffs or at least incredibly low ones, aiming to eliminate non-tariff barriers and various government subsidies.”
At 79, Trump has accused foreign nations of taking advantage of the U.S. through unfair trade practices for many years. During his 2024 campaign, Republicans openly declared that the word “customers” was beautiful in the dictionary.
Notably, a few months into his second term, Trump elevated tariffs to their highest levels in over a century.
For decades, traditional conservatives have grown wary of protectionist trade policies like tariffs. Kudlow, at 78, was among those skeptics prior to joining Trump’s initial administration.
Yet, he explained that his viewpoint shifted as he realized how foreign nations imposed obstacles against American goods.
Kudlow spoke about Bob Lighthizer, the former U.S. Trade Representative, as a major influence. “Lighthizer and I were Reagan’s two kids,” he recalled, emphasizing how Lighthizer unveiled the significant tariff differences imposed by countries like China and India.
“My views were somewhat aligned with mainstream free trade, but I wasn’t very knowledgeable about the specifics, and the disparities were considerable.”
He also mentioned that “we do not live in a world of free trade” and that this has been the case since the post-World War II era. “In the past, everyone was assisting our allies in Europe and Japan. But, that support didn’t last long.”
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Trump’s administration finalized a framework for a massive trade agreement with many of America’s primary trading partners during the summer, with talks with China and India still ongoing.
“This global trade war backlash never really materialized,” Kudlow stated. “Instead of turning to China, they turned to the U.S. Our secret weapon has always been our vast economy, not just consumers but the economy as a whole, and Trump understood that.”
“It fluctuates. Sometimes there are tariffs, sometimes there aren’t, but it generally improves,” Kudlow commented. “It might take some time, and there will be hurdles along the way, but he’s on track for a significant triumph.”
