Karoline Leavitt Pressed On Trump's Decision To 'Suddenly' Double Tariff Rate On Steel And Aluminum

Forbes Breaking News

During a White House press briefing on Tuesday, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about President Trump raising the tariff rate on steel and aluminum to 50% from 25%.

Transcript

00:00Caroline, you've got U.S. business leaders begging for certainty.

00:04So why did the president suddenly decide to hike tariffs on steel and aluminum again?

00:11You also have U.S. business leaders begging to meet with this president

00:14and begging to come to the White House to talk to him

00:18because they know that he is a negotiator-in-chief,

00:21that he's making good deals on behalf of the American worker and the steel worker,

00:25in particular when it comes to the steel and aluminum tariffs,

00:28which he discussed in his speech at length at Pennsylvania and the need for them.

00:33And I would just add, I was at that speech on Friday with the president

00:36and there were 2,000 steel workers and their families in the room,

00:40many of them wearing their hard hats.

00:42I spoke to one backstage who said this is the greatest thing that has happened

00:46for that community in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 60 years

00:49because this is a president who doesn't just talk the talk, he walks the walk too,

00:53and he's delivering on his promises to bolster our steel and aluminum industries in this country

00:59and to protect those jobs.

01:00If not for this president, that steel plant in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania would have closed,

01:04those jobs would have been lost, and the president saved that company,

01:09he saved those jobs, and he's saving that community.

01:11And that's the intention of the steel tariffs, which he will sign later this afternoon.

01:14Thank you very much, everyone.

Category

Transcript

Recommended