Commerce Secretary Howard Lutonic said Sunday that Americans should not “absolutely” support braces because of the recession as President Donald Trump plans to implement widespread mutual tariffs on foreign goods.
“There’s no recession in America. … President Trump said, “Do you want to charge us 100%? Lutnick told NBC News to “Meet the Press.”
Lutnick claimed that Trump plans to “push America into the world” and “grow the economy in a way that we have never grown before.”
“So if Donald Trump is bringing growth to America, I would never have put a bet on the recession,” the Secretary of Commerce added.
In another interview with Fox News on Sunday Morning Futures, host Maria Baltiromo asked Trump if he was expecting a recession this year.
“I hate predicting such things,” he said.
“What we do is so big, so there’s a period of transition. We’re bringing wealth back to America. That’s a big thing. And that period always takes a little time. It takes a little time,” he added.
Lutnick also promised that grocery prices would begin to fall in early April, but warned that there would be a rise in prices for foreign goods as a result of the Trump administration’s expected mutual tariffs.
“Yes, some of the products that have become foreigners may be more expensive, but American products will be cheaper, and that’s the point,” Rutnick told Meet the Press moderator Kristen Welker about the impact of mutual tariffs on foreign goods that Trump said would impose on April 2nd.
“The president is trying to negotiate a country by country. He drives barriers from other countries, unleashing farmers, ranchers and fishermen. They are going to explode in value and bring American produce prices, cultivation, produce and fish down,” predicted Lutnick.
“Donald Trump is behind them and protecting them,” Rutnick added, referring to American farmers. “He has their backs, and he’s going to make them the winners. And with these prices drop, all of America will be the winners. The process starts on April 2nd.”
In an interview with Fox, Trump explained his reasons for tariffs to prevent Americans from being “deceived.”
“Look, our country will no longer be torn apart by tariffs for decades, for decades,” he told Baltiromo.
Consumers and major retailers felt a whiplash just two days after he introduced him as Trump issued tariff exemptions to Canada and Mexico last week.
However, the tariff exception issued last week expires on April 2nd. This is the date Trump is expected to impose mutual tariffs on other countries.
At Fox, Trump told Baltiromo that these tariffs will come into effect on April 2 and that they have no plans to allow further expansions in Canada and Mexico.
“It’s a transition to April, and then I haven’t done this, I mean, I told them, ‘Look, I’m trying to do this once, but then I’m not doing it,” he said.
He also said that the proportion of tariffs in foreign countries could rise over time, and told Baltiromo, “We may have some tariffs. It depends. We may go up.”
Welker also asked Rutnic about the tariffs on dairy, wood, steel and aluminum that Trump said would levitate Canada.
Lutnick said tariffs on steel and aluminum remained in effect on Wednesday, March 12, with tariffs on wood and dairy still being delayed until April 2, citing the need for Canadian tariffs on US goods and tariffs to curb the fentanyl crisis.
“We intend to reaffirm the fentanyl issue on April 2nd, and we will revisit trade, the general trade issue of mutuality again,” Rutnick said.
Previously, Lutnick told Welker that tariffs on Canada and Mexico would end “if fentanyl ends” and denounced both countries for allowing fentanyl to flow across the northern and southern borders of the United States.
“I think when fentanyl ends, these will come off, but if fentanyl doesn’t finish, or (if Trump is unsure about it, they’ll stay this way until they’re comfortable,” Rutnick said.
Trump’s tariff plans could have a negative impact on grocery prices, particularly those. According to the Agriculture Bureau, in 2021, the percentage of fresh US fruits supplied by imports with fresh vegetables except for certain crops was 60% or 38%.
Lutnick also spoke about tensions that may have emerged between Trump’s Cabinet members and Trump’s advisor Elon Musk last week.
On Thursday, Trump called up cabinets to inform them that staffing decisions in their respective departments and agencies were left to them, not to the efficiency of the government, which previously fired thousands of federal workers across the U.S. government.
Lutnick said on Sunday that Trump made it clear that he was in charge and that Musk was the “partner” of each Cabinet Secretary.
“President Trump has made it clear that Elon is your partner and that’s what we love,” the Secretary of Commerce said. “You are the greatest businessman in the world as my partner and have a great engineer.”
“No one is watching this TV right now. If Elon Musk says he’ll come to his house and help them, I’ll try not to get well,” Rutnick added. “You are the best technician in the world and have the wealthiest man who says, ‘I’ll help you.’ Come. We are looking for his help. ”