The Trump administration's senior counselor for trade and manufacturing, Peter Navarro, suggested on Sunday that the tariffs on automobiles, which are set to go into effect "on or after April 2," would raise $100 billion, ostensibly in a year.
Responding to a question from "Fox News Sunday" that the tariffs, according to Investopedia, would raise car prices for consumers, Navarro discounted the concern, offering instead that tariffs represent "tax cuts." They are "jobs," he added, "tariffs are national security; tariffs are great. For America, tariffs will make America great again."
Addressing the concern of tariffs among consumers, Navarro pointed to "when we imposed historic tariffs on China, steel, aluminum; the same people — Investopedia and on down — who were saying 'There's going to be inflation and recession,' were dead wrong. We got price stability and prosperity, and we're gonna get that again."
Regarding tariffs on cars and auto parts, the presidential counselor pointed to what's become known as the Chicken Tax, imposed by President Lyndon Johnson, where tariffs were imposed on France and Germany for the import of light trucks in response to the tariffs imposed on the export of American chickens. The tariff, Navarro suggested, had fostered a renewed focus on American truck manufacturing.
However, when pressed by host Shannon Bream that costs from the tariffs could be passed to the American consumer, Navarro said that those who buy American cars would receive "tax benefits" and tax credits."
"In addition" to the auto tariffs, "the other tariffs are gonna raise about $600 billion a year, about $6 trillion over a ten-year period, and we're gonna have tax cuts. It's the biggest tax cut in American history."
Navarro concluded that if looked at "holistically as they say," the tariffs would provide Americans with jobs and make consumers better off.
Nick Koutsobinas ✉
Nick Koutsobinas, a Newsmax writer, has years of news reporting experience. A graduate from Missouri State University’s philosophy program, he focuses on exposing corruption and censorship.
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