The White House Press Secretary held a news briefing on Wednesday where tariffs were a major topic.
Based off various Trump administration statements, the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China imposed on Tuesday are about stopping illegal immigration, blocking fentanyl smuggling, closing the trade gap, balancing the federal budget and other nations showing more respect for Trump.
At their core, tariffs are a tax on consumers and a windfall for the U.S. Treasury.
“The President does love tariffs,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. “He said it’s one of his favorite words in the English dictionary and he believes in tariffs because they’ll ultimately make America rich again.”
But faced with huge backlash from Canada, and Mexico, Trump delayed, for a very short time, major tariffs on U.S. automakers with factories in those two countries.
“Reciprocal tariffs will still go into effect on April 2, but at the request of the companies associated with USMCA, the president …