Senior economic adviser Stephen Moore defended President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Newsmax Saturday, arguing that combined with his other economic policies, they would reduce inflation rather than increase it.
Appearing on “The Count,” Moore explained that while tariffs alone could raise consumer prices, Trump’s broader economic strategy — including energy expansion, tax cuts, and deregulation — would have an overall deflationary effect.
“Well, if you impose a tariff, all other things equal, that would raise prices,” Moore said. “So, for example, if you’re importing toys from China and you buy those toys and you have a tariff on them, yeah, that’s going to be passed on to the consumer.”
However, he emphasized, “Everything else Trump is doing is very disinflationary. So, he wants to drill, baby, drill. He wants to cut taxes or keep our taxes low. He wants to deregulate the economy. He wants fair trade deals. All of these things put pressure down.”
Moore also pointed to Trump’s recent proposal to cut the business tax rate to 15% for products manufactured in the U.S.
“In other words, if it’s made in the United States, he wants to cut the tax rate. And if it’s made in China, he wants to increase the tax rate. When you put those two things together, that’s not inflationary.”
Moore defended Trump’s tariff approach, saying the president is focused on leveling the global trade playing field.
“What Donald Trump is pointing out is that a lot of these countries put much higher restraints on our ability to sell to them than they do to us,” Moore said.
“In fact, we are one of the lowest, if not the lowest, tariff countr[ies] in the world. And other countries have created a very unlevel playing field.”
Trump’s tariffs, Moore argued, aim to force other nations to lower their trade barriers.
“Trump is saying, look, you want access to our markets, you’re going to have to lower your tariffs to the rate that we have because you’re way up here, and we’re down here,” Moore said.
While acknowledging that tariffs carry risks, Moore suggested that Trump’s approach could lead to “freer and fairer trade” by giving U.S. companies greater access to foreign markets.
“At the end of the day, we’ll have a more globally connected world,” he said. “But we’re going to have access to the markets that right now are shut off to us [the U.S.] because of those high value-added taxes and tariffs.”
About NEWSMAX TV:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America!
- Find Newsmax channel in your home via cable and satellite systems – More Info Here
- Watch Newsmax+ on your home TV app or smartphone and watch it anywhere! Try it for FREE – See More Here: NewsmaxPlus.com
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.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.