WH Press Secretary calls out reporter over Trump tariff narrative

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has been like a bull in a China shop in terms of taking a wrecking ball to the media.

She refuses to take any flack on that podium, as she recently proved when an AP reporter tried to twist the narrative on Trump’s tariff war with Canada and Mexico.

Trump’s tariff wars

If you ask me if I like tariffs, I will say, “No.” Having said that, Trump has been very good at playing the leverage game with them when he is negotiating with other countries.

To that point, Trump announced a 25% tariff against Mexico and Canada to get more help at the border, stating, “President Trump is taking bold action to hold Mexico, Canada, and China accountable to their promises of halting illegal immigration and stopping poisonous fentanyl and other drugs from flowing into our country.”

The fact of the matter is that this is about far more than just the border, as Trump’s order outlined, stating, “While trade accounts for 67% of Canada’s GDP, 73% of Mexico’s GDP, and 37% of China’s GDP, it accounts for only 24% of U.S. GDP. However, in 2023 the U.S. trade deficit in goods was the world’s largest at over $1 trillion.”

Based on how Trump used this strategy during his first term, I am more than willing to give him some leash to let this play out, and I still firmly believe this time next year, we are going to be reaping the benefits.

Possible fallout

The obvious fallout from the tariff was that prices go up for a bit while this all plays out, and Trump knows that.

Trump is downplaying the financial aspect of this and pushing these as a national safety issue, stating, “It is my duty as president to ensure the safety of all.”

If Trump loses this little war of his, the result will be higher prices on consumer products from both of these countries, but there are alternatives.

My belief is that because trade is not balanced, it will have a more significant impact on Mexico and Canada, eventually bringing both countries to heel. For Trump, that needs to happen sooner rather than later because if we fall into a recession and inflation gets out of control, he will cost the GOP the 2026 and 2028 elections.

Leavitt calls out reporter

When these prices go up on goods, the media and Democrats have already taken to calling them “taxes” on the American people.

To that point, AP journalist Josh Boak hit a nerve by calling them taxes with Leavitt, who responded, "He is actually not implementing tax hikes. Tariffs are a tax hike on foreign countries that, again, have been ripping us off. Tariffs are a tax cut for the American people, and the president is a staunch advocate of tax cuts."

She went off again on Fox News, stating, "He [Boak] clearly fails to see President Trump's long-term economic strategy, which is to bring in so much revenue, so much wealth into our country through tariffs, that we can give larger tax cuts to the American people to put more money back into their pockets.”

The biggest danger in this war to me is that prices will not go back down once they go up after the tariffs are lifted. But again, as consumers, we have other options, and I would strongly suggest pursuing them to avoid purchasing products from Mexico and Canada until the prices go back down. You want to help Trump win this war? Simply do without, and wait for the prices to drop when the Canadian and Mexican economies start to fall.