Senior officials in Donald Trump's administration sent mixed signals about the President's global tariffs during Sunday talk shows, causing further confusion amid market turmoil. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted the tariffs would remain, suggesting Trump aims to reset global trade. Conversely, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins hinted at potential negotiations with over 50 countries. The conflicting messages emphasized the unpredictability of U.S. trade policy, which has already led to significant losses in stock markets and stirred dissent among Republican party leaders.
Howard Lutnick, the billionaire commerce secretary, struck an aggressive note on CBS News's Face the Nation in which he portrayed the tariffs as here to stay. Asked whether there was a chance that tariffs would be postponed to allow countries to negotiate a deal with Washington, he replied: There is no postponing—they are definitely going to stay in place for days and weeks, that is sort of obvious. Lutnick added that Trump intended to reset global trade.
Scott Bessent, the treasury secretary, told Meet the Press on NBC News that Trump had created maximum leverage for himself, and more than 50 countries have approached the administration about lowering their non-tariff trade barriers, lowering their tariffs, stopping currency manipulation.
The agriculture secretary, Brooke Rollins, echoed Bessent by flagging up possible talks. We've got 50 countries that are burning the phone lines into the White House, she told CNN's State of the Union.
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