House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Donald Trump's tariffs will result in a more "equalized" trade disparity and ultimately will be concentrated on a "handful of countries...that have been most abusive of our trade agreements."
During an interview Wednesday at an Axios' News Shapers event in Washington, D.C., the Louisiana Republican was asked how uncertainty of tariff rates can be justified after he agreed it's important to have certainty surrounding tax rates for Americans.
"Well, we're trying to do it for both," he told Axios political reporter Hans Nichol. "The tariff policy, you know...there's different viewpoints on this...but you can't argue with the fact that it has been very effective shaking things up. By some measurements, we have more than a hundred countries now coming forward to renegotiate trade agreements with America, and that's good for Americans, that's good for consumers. It's good for our stability because...the disparity in our trade will be more equalized. And I think that's an important principle.
"What I think what will happen is, in the days going forward, is there'll be more concentration on just a small handful of countries, the ones, frankly, that have been most abusive of our trade agreements and trade arrangements, and of course China is at the top of that list. So, it's a delicate balance, but I think the strategy in the end will make sense and I think the economy will respond appropriately."
Since the Constitution grants Congress the power to levy tariffs, Johnson was asked how much time he would give Trump to pursue tariffs before Congress gets involved.
"I think the executive has a broad array of authority that's been recognized over the years," Johnson said. "If it gets close to where the imbalance is there, then we would step in. But I think the first protocol, to be very frank, is I would call the president and talk with him about that and tell him our concerns.
"Right now, I think, ultimately this policy is going to achieve the desired outcome and it's going to be good for the country. So, we're applauding that."
Johnson also discussed other topics during his roughly 25-minute interview. They included:
On when the reconciliation bill will be passed: "The treasury secretary said July 4 this week in public statements, and we applauded that. But I really hope we do it sooner. And here's the reason why: this has nothing to do with pride of authorship in the House or any of that, we just want to deliver for the American people, and so do all of our Senate Republican colleagues on the America First agenda."
On the debt ceiling X date: "That's a big pressure point, and we don't know exactly when that X date will fall. I have had to work under the assumption...that it could be the earliest date, maybe early June, so we can't be caught flat-footed on this."
On strengthening Medicaid: "The number of waste, fraud, and abuse over a 10-year period, it's $51 billion a year as an estimate. We think that's a low estimate of just fraud, waste, and abuse in Medicaid alone. Who could be for that? I mean, we have a responsibility to tighten this up. When you're talking about work requirements, that's over an 80% public approval rating. But you eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse, you bring in work requirements, and you tighten up the program, and you can find a lot of savings. And the whole point here, the whole idea — make sure illegal aliens are not receiving it all the rest. The whole idea is that we're trying to preserve the program."
On Congressional Democrats impeachment theatrics: "You know, we've already seen the movie. They tried it twice already, based on absolutely nothing, and they would do it again. I mean, Al Green filed impeachment articles like, I don't know, the fifth day of Congress. I mean, I think he did it before the President took his oath. So, it shows you where they are."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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