Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday that President Trump's tariff policies are worth it, even if the economy plunges into a recession.
In an interview aired Tuesday, CBS News' Nancy Cordes asked Lutonic whether tariffs “when it leads to a recession, if it leads to a short-term recession, is it worth it?”
Lutnick replied: “These policies are the most important things America has ever had.”
“Is there any value?” Codesu was pressed.
“It's worth it,” he said.
Lutnick quickly added:
Lutnick is a fierce advocate for Trump's approach to tariffs, saying over the weekend that Americans should not “absolutely” worry about the possibility of a recession.
In his latest interview, Lutnick doubled his support for the president's tariff policy, claiming that they weren't confused.
“These policies generate revenue,” Rutnick said.
“So you say when it seems confusing and unpredictable that there is actually a master plan when it comes to these tariffs?” Cordes asked.
“That's not confusing,” Rutnik said. “And only the stupid people think it's a confused one.”
On Tuesday, Trump threatened to double tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports in response to Ontario Premier Doug Ford's plan to issue retaliatory charges for national trioes. Ford retreated, and Trump reversed the course hours later, pledging talks in Washington on Thursday to talks about renewing the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before mutual tariffs come into effect early next month.
Lutnick defended Trump's approach in an interview.
“He had to break the Ontario man. He said he was going to tax American energy 25%. The White House US president says, 'Oh, I won't do it,' and breaks him. And you think it's confusing? ” Rutnick said.
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5189964-lutnick-trump-tariffs-recession/
