Another CNN anchor took a swing at Trump economic advisor Howard Lutnick on Friday—and missed—while attempting to argue that the administration’s new tariffs would hurt millions of Americans. Pamela Brown, appearing confident during her exchange with Lutnick, who now serves as U.S. Secretary of Commerce, challenged President Donald Trump’s sweeping new tariffs on more than 60 countries. Brown pointed to past research from Goldman Sachs suggesting that tariffs have historically contributed to rising consumer prices.
“We did see prices rise” on tariffed goods go up during Trump’s first term, Brown said citing the bank’s report. The host’s statement contradicts the bipartisan support for tariffs that the White House highlights on its official website. Janet Yellen, the former Treasury Secretary under Joe Biden, predicted that there would be no significant increase in prices following the new tariffs imposed on China by the Democratic administration in 2024.
Brown argued that President Trump sent the manufacturing sector into a “mild recession” through the past use of tariffs. “What gives you so much certainty that this is going to work and isn’t going to hurt the everyday American?” she asked. Lutnick explained that the administration’s tariffs respond to those already imposed by affected countries. “The largest trade barrier country in the world is China, and they don’t have inflation. So these things don’t occur the way people suggest they do,” he said, adding that Trump had the lowest rates of inflation during his first term.
The Trump advisor argued that only a “reordering of global trade” can truly reset a system that, for decades, has been structured to exploit American innovation. “These people have all been living in our house,” he said. “They’ve been driving our car. They come by and open our fridge and eat our food whenever they want. They’ve taken advantage of us. Today was the day of the beginning of saying, ‘I’m sorry, you can’t just live for free off of us. You have to pay.’” He added: “What’s going to happen is, the United States of America is going to get stronger. Our economy will grow much, much faster than the rest of the world.”
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White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday also urged Wall Street to “trust in President Trump” amid the turbulence. “This is a president who is doubling down on his proven economic formula from his first term… this is indeed a national emergency… and it’s about time we have a president who actually does something about it,” she said one day after Trump’s tariffs were announced.
