White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt sparred with an Associated Press reporter who challenged her assertions of who ultimately will pay the price for President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
The AP‘s Josh Boak asked who Trump’s planned speech later today to the Business Roundtable, where he will speak to a group of CEOs amid increased concerns about the economy.
“He’s going there as he is proposing tax hikes in the form of tariffs,” Boak said.
“Not true,” Leavitt said.
Boak when on, asking, “I’m curious why he is prioritizing that in with the tax cuts.”
Leavitt seemed irritated. “He’s actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that again have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people. The president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts.”
Boak then said, “I’m sorry, but have you ever paid a tariff? Because I have. They don’t get charged on foreign companies. They get charged on the importers.”
Leavitt responded, “Ultimately, when we have fair and balanced trade which the American people have not seen in decades…revenues will stay here. Wages will go up. And our country will be made wealthy again. And I think it’s insulting that you are trying to test my knowledge of economics and the decisions this president has made. I now regret giving a question to the Associated Press.”
When tariffs are imposed on imports, U.S. businesses pay the tariffs for those foreign purchases. Many economists, including those at the Tax Foundation, have warned that the costs ultimately will be passed on to the consumer.
Trump has banned the AP from Oval Office press conferences and other White House and presidential events after the news organization declined to switch the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. The AP has sued Leavitt and other Trump administration figures, arguing that their First and Fifth amendment rights were violated. A judge will consider their claim later this month. AP reporters and photographers still are allowed to attend Leavitt’s press briefings.
