Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin told Newsmax on Thursday that there is a lot to be proud of already regarding the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs when properly viewed from the American point of view.
However, Zeldin advised that Trump is playing the "long game."
Zeldin joined "Rob Schmitt Tonight" from Huger, South Carolina, home to Nucor Steel Berkeley, where he and Vice President JD Vance among others paid a visit earlier in the day.
"This is a lot for us to be proud of in many different respects. And [tariffs] is something that we have to win on," Zeldin said. "As the vice president said during his remarks, some people scratched their heads, and they say that this trade battle that's going on, the negotiations that are out there, the tariffs that were added is going to make it harder to allow foreign companies to bring their stuff into the United States.
"Well, it's important to take a step back and understand why this is happening: It's to boost the United States economy. There is a long game here," Zeldin added.
Zeldin reminded that it was Trump who brokered the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in 2020, modernizing and improving on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
"President Trump has been through this already. First off, he's been talking about these policies for decades. And in his first term, he was approaching this with Canada, with Canada and Mexico. And people said NAFTA was here to stay; you're never going to negotiate a better deal. And then we ended up with the USMCA," Zeldin said.
"We saw that progress with China, where people said there's no way that you're going to be able to stop China from eating our lunch. Well, if you don't try, of course you'll never be able to stop it. And this president refuses to allow China to eat our lunch. So this is a moment for strength and resolve," he added.
As for Nucor, Zeldin called it a "site that should be celebrated."
"This is a company, an industry that should be boosted with our policies. Everything is on the line in a moment like this in 2025. And it's exciting that we are fighting for made in America. It's exciting that we're fighting for American Steel," he said.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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