Donald Trump and his top officials seem to be managing expectations about the economy, but a Washington Post reporter said they're only making Americans more concerned about a possible recession.
Commerce secretary Howard Lutnick told CBS News on Tuesday that Trump's tariffs would "be worth it if they lead to a recession, even a short-term recession," which was a reversal from his assurance Sunday that there was "no chance" of a recession, and Post national politics reporter Sabrina Rodriguez said that should set off "alarm bells" for voters.
"I mean to say that a recession is worth it, anyone that's hearing that at home, it is alarm bells, no question," said Rodriguez, who specializes in voter demographics. "The word recession is something that is deeply triggering for a lot of Americans, and we're seeing Lutnick sort of be Trump's biggest cheerleader. He said in multiple interviews in the last week, you know, he's coming out and saying anyone that's betting against Donald Trump is making the wrong call, and that's sort of how he's been dismissing a little bit the stock market and saying companies are sort of jumping the gun on this. But again, this is something a huge area of concern for Americans."
"I mean, yesterday is a perfect example," she added. "Trump started the day saying he was going to double the tariffs on aluminum and steel from Canada, and then by the end of the day wasn't doing that, and I think the Canada piece of this is very clear, because a lot of folks are saying, 'Wait, isn't he calling [prime minister Justin] Trudeau 'governor Trudeau,' and isn't he talking about annexing Canada? For a lot of folks, there is sort of this question, too, of why exactly are we picking on Canada? That's our neighbor to the north, and China makes more sense."
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