CBS’ Margaret Brennan requested Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick whether or not synthetic intelligence was concerned in designing President Donald Trump’s broad tariff insurance policies on Sunday.
The “Face the Nation” host confronted Lutnick on Trump’s “Liberation Day” announcement, which noticed important tariff will increase throughout quite a few international locations. This included a baseline tariff of 10% on all U.S. imports that started on Saturday.
The announcement induced chaos for traders because the inventory market suffered a few of its worst losses because the COVID pandemic in 2020.
TREASURY SECRETARY BESSENT TELLS COUNTRIES NOT TO RETALIATE AFTER SWEEPING ‘LIBERATION DAY’ TARIFFS
US President Donald Trump holds a chart as he delivers remarks on reciprocal tariffs throughout an occasion within the Rose Backyard entitled “Make America Rich Once more” on the White Home in Washington, DC, on April 2, 2025. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP through Getty Photographs)
Brennan linked the uncertainty available in the market to what she thought of “random” international locations that have been focused, going as far as to ask if the administration used AI to write down its coverage.
“[W]hen we noticed the president stand within the Rose Backyard holding up that chart that you simply helped make, that wasn’t truly tariffs,” Brennan mentioned. “That was truly complicated to traders, as a result of it was some sort of different formulation, and the international locations themselves appeared sort of random. Like, why are the Heard and McDonald Islands, which do not export to america and are fairly actually inhabited by penguins, why do they face a ten% tariff? Did you utilize AI to generate this?”
Lutnick laughed off the query till Brennan pressed him additional on including the Heard and McDonald Islands to the tariff listing.
“What occurs is, when you depart something off the listing, the international locations that attempt to mainly arbitrage America undergo these international locations to us,” Lutnick answered, utilizing China for example.
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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick answered questions on Trump’s tariff plan. (Screenshot/CBS)
He added, “They simply constructed by means of different international locations, by means of America. And so, the President is aware of that, he is uninterested in it, and he will repair that.”
White Home Financial Council Director Kevin Hassett added on ABC Information’ “This Week” that since Trump’s announcement, over 50 international locations have contacted the administration to barter new commerce agreements. Nonetheless, he acknowledged that there could also be short-term ache for shoppers as costs are anticipated to extend.
Further tariffs are set to take impact on April 9.
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