White House Responds After French President Macron Calls Trump's Tariffs 'Blackmail'

In a press briefing on Monday, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked about French comments on American tariffs.

Transcript

00:00Andrea.

00:01Yeah.

00:02So President Macron of France earlier today said that tariffs

00:06levied by powerful countries are often a form of blackmail,

00:10and criticized the sort of process that's underway.

00:15I didn't mention the United States specifically,

00:18but said that these tariffs are really hurting developing

00:21countries, so there's this big U.N. conference going on.

00:24What do you say to that?

00:26Do you know, was the President, was he aware of that comment,

00:30and did he have any response?

00:32Ms. I think the President and the White House would certainly

00:35reject that characterization by Prime Minister Macron.

00:39Tariffs are an effective use of presidential power to bring back

00:43the middle class, to bring back our manufacturing industry,

00:48which was the backbone of our American economy and has been

00:51hollowed out by globalist politicians who have caved to

00:54foreign countries instead of doing what's right for American workers.

00:57That's why the President is effectively utilizing his

01:00authority to wage tariffs and to utilize tariffs and continues

01:04to be in discussions and negotiations on trade to do what's

01:07right for America.

01:08And Europe and the rest of the world might not be used to that,

01:11but President Trump is back in town and he's going to do what's

01:14right for our people and our country.

01:15Can I just follow up?

01:16Ms. Sure.