Former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone predicted a rapid economic rebound under President Donald Trump's leadership, telling Newsmax on Saturday the economy will be "cooking" within two years and "booming" by the end of the second Trump term.
Appearing Saturday on "The Count," Stone responded to criticism of the tariffs by saying Trump's approach is both strategic and necessary.
"Well, first of all, if you look at the tariffs that others put on us and those the president's just placed on other countries, he has indeed been gentle," Stone said. "Here's one thing we know for certain: What we're doing now, what we're doing under [President Joe] Biden, what we did under [President Barack] Obama isn't working ... did not work."
Stone said Trump's use of tariffs during his first term brought in "billions of dollars" and helped reposition the U.S. economy.
"This will work," he said.
"We need to renew the Trump tax cuts, which are not for the wealthy. They're across the board.
"We need to enact the spending cuts that Elon Musk has made very obvious for us. He laid them out for us," Stone said.
"And we need to start using these tariffs to get an even playing field."
Stone said Trump's negotiating strategy will pay off.
"Donald Trump is a master negotiator. The economy needed a total reordering.
"Yes, there's going to be some disruption. But at the end of four years, this economy will be booming. At the end of two years, this economy will be cooking," he said.
Meanwhile, Democrat lawmakers are moving to challenge Trump's tariff plan, Axios reported.
Rep. Greg Meeks, D-N.Y., the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced he would introduce a privileged resolution to block the tariffs. The measure would force a House vote on ending what Meeks described as a "made-up national emergency" that Trump is using to justify the new taxes.
"Trump just hit Americans with the largest regressive tax hike in modern history—massive tariffs on all imports," Meeks said, according to a House Foreign Affairs Committee Dems post on X.
Stone also accused Trump's critics of defending a broken system.
"Those who are defending the status quo don't have a leg to stand on. They have destroyed the middle class, and they've destroyed the manufacturing base of America," he said.
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Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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