Washington — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday that President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will take effect later this week, suggesting they aren’t open to negotiation after the announcement sent shockwaves through the investment world and sparked recession fears.
“The tariffs are coming. He announced that, and he wasn’t kidding,” Lutnick said of Mr. Trump on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
Last week, the president announced 10% tariffs on imports from all countries, along with increasing levies on dozens of countries that charge higher taxes on American exports, which are set to go into effect this week. Meanwhile, financial markets saw their worst week since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Mr. Trump urged Americans to “hang tough.”
Lutnick defended the president’s newly announced tariffs on Sunday, arguing that the policies will help protect American factories and “reset the power of the United States of America.”
“This is a national security issue,” Lutnick said, pointing to shortcomings in American manufacturing of things like medicines, ships and semiconductors, while adding that “we’ve got to start to protect ourselves.”
The tariffs come after Mr. Trump previously delayed tariffs on Canada and Mexico amid negotiations with the countries over immigration policies. But Lutnick said that “there is no postponing” the new round of tariffs, saying “the president has made it crystal, crystal clear — this is the policy.”
Lutnick acknowledged that “it is going to be a big change.” But he argued that “the rest of the world has been ripping us off for all these many years,” saying the president is “not going to take it anymore.”
“This is the moment that the United States of America takes hold of itself, and Donald Trump has been talking about this his whole life,” Lutnick said. “This is Donald Trump’s agenda, and we’re all here to help him execute.”
Sen. John Barrasso, a Wyoming Republican who also appeared on “Face the Nation” Sunday, said tariffs are about a “monumental change in the direction of our government.” And he stressed that they’re part of a larger picture that includes an effort by congressional Republicans to approve legislation unlocking key components of Mr. Trump’s agenda, including extending his 2017 tax cuts.
“We have a comprehensive economic plan to get to a strong, healthy, growing economy for the American people,” Barrasso said, calling the tariffs a “tool.”
