Rep. Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.) criticized the Trump administration’s three-month trade pause with China on Monday, referring to it as “just a charade.”
“We’ve returned to where we started before this whole situation unfolded. It’s simply a sign that we lack any clear plans,” Goldman remarked during an interview with CNN’s John Berman. “All we’re seeing are increased prices, uncertainties, and instability in our economy.”
“It’s all just a façade. There’s no real purpose to this,” he added.
President Trump, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent, framed the 90-day halt on mutual tariff increases as a significant success following trade talks with China in Geneva over the weekend.
Bescent mentioned on CNBC’s “Scoobox” that discussions for a long-term deal with China are set to proceed, although specifics are still being finalized. The tariff increases commenced after Trump introduced his “liberation day” tariffs last month.
Trump expressed optimism about potentially speaking with Chinese President Xi Jinping by the end of the week. “They are quite happy to be engaging with us, and the relationship is good,” he stated.
Trump’s push for revitalizing American manufacturing is a key goal of his substantial tariff strategy.
However, Goldman, who began representing Lower Manhattan, including Chinatown, in 2022, along with other Democratic critics, sees this as merely an ambitious goal. “Even if that were true, it will take years. The supposed aim of this is utterly pointless because it’s just not practical,” Goldman stated. “It seems driven by Trump’s ego—he wants to confront Xi Jinping and prove his strength until he realizes there’s no resolution, at which point he just retreats.”
