After imposing and then quickly pausing 25% tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada that sent markets tumbling over concerns of a trade war, Trump said his plans for broader “reciprocal” tariffs will go into effect April 2, raising them to match what other countries assess.
“April 2nd, it becomes all reciprocal,” he said in a taped interview with Fox News Channel’s ‘Sunday Morning Futures’. “What they charge us, we charge them.”
Asked about the Atlanta Fed’s warning of an economic contraction in the first quarter of the year, Trump seemingly acknowledged that his plans could affect US growth. Still, he claimed, it would ultimately be “great for us.”
When questioned whether he was expecting a recession in 2025, Trump responded: “I hate to predict things like that. There is a period of transition because what we’re doing is very big. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing.” He then added, “It takes a little time.”
On Wall Street, it was a tough week with wild swings dominated by worries over the economy and uncertainty about Trump’s tariffs.Trump brushed aside concerns from businesses seeking stability as they make investment decisions. He said “for years the globalists, the big globalists have been ripping off the United States” and that now, “all we’re doing is getting some of it back, and we’re going to treat our country fairly.”‘Tariffs could go up’
“You know, the tariffs could go up as time goes by, and they may go up and, you know, I don’t know if it’s predictability,” the Republican president said.
Trump last week lifted the Mexico and Canada tariffs on American car manufacturers, and then virtually all imports to the US, but kept them on goods from China.
Price distortions
The week could see more tariffs, with US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick telling NBC’s ‘Meet the Press’ that 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum imports will take effect Wednesday. Lutnick said Trump’s threatened tariffs on Canadian dairy and lumber though would wait until April.
“Will there be distortions? Of course,” Lutnick said. “Foreign goods may get a little more expensive. But American goods are going to get cheaper, and you’re going to be helping Americans by buying American.” AP
