White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt found herself in the cross-hairs during a heated briefing after an Associated Press reporter suggested that <\/p>\n
President Trump\u2019s proposed tariff program amounted to a hidden tax hike. From the first question, it was clear the exchange would be anything but routine.<\/p>\n
The journalist asked why the president\u2014who campaigned on broad tax cuts\u2014was now \u201craising taxes\u201d through tariffs. <\/p>\n
pushed back hard, insisting that the administration\u2019s policy was \u201cabsolutely not a tax increase on Americans,\u201d <\/p>\n
but rather a strategic tax on foreign governments that have \u201cbeen defrauding us for decades.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leavitt framed tariffs as a corrective measure designed to rebalance trade, shield domestic industries, and, over time, lower the tax burden on U.S. workers. <\/p>\n
\u201cTariffs aren\u2019t about squeezing American families,\u201d she said. \u201cThey are about stopping countries that dump cheap goods, manipulate currency, <\/p>\n
and hollow out our manufacturing base. If they want to keep exploiting loopholes, they will pay\u2014 not Main Street.\u201d She argued that any short-term price pressure on <\/p>\n
importers would be offset by long-term gains: stronger supply chains at home, upward pressure on wages, and an American economy less exposed to foreign shocks.<\/p>\n
Pressed on whether businesses simply pass those costs to shoppers, the press secretary acknowledged that importers could face higher upfront expenses. <\/p>\n
Nevertheless, she maintained that \u201cfair, reciprocal trade\u201d would ultimately leave more money in U.S. pockets. The administration\u2019s broader tax agenda, <\/p>\n
she reminded reporters, still included cutting taxes on overtime, tips, and Social Security benefits\u2014evidence, she said, that the president remained committed to lightening the overall tax load on working families.<\/p>\n
When the playing field is level,\u201d she added, \u201cwages rise, jobs stay here, and growth accelerates.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt found herself in the cross-hairs during a heated briefing after an Associated Press reporter suggested that President Trump\u2019s proposed tariff program… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":56031,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-56030","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n