President Donald Trump started an event marked to celebrate Women’s History Month by praising all the women who have come and worked in his administration. Although the convening took place at the White House, the attendees were not just government actors. Chief of Staff Susie Wiles gifted him frequent praise, at one point even being dubbed “the most powerful woman in the world” by Trump himself. Trump praised White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, referencing their successful work in his past administration.
That was a good opportunity for Trump to tout his own administration’s soon-to-be-reciprocal tariffs, which are due to go into effect on April 2. He promised Summit-goers that the forthcoming tariffs would be shockingly gentle. In a big surprise ignoring the buzz from recent months, they would be binding on all countries. This announcement represented a major tactical shift to combat expectations that the tariffs would be aimed at just a handful of countries.
“We’re going to make it all countries, and we’re going to make it very lenient,” said Trump.
During his State of the Union, Trump mocked a 25% tariff on automobiles not manufactured in the U.S. He pointed out that even vehicles built outside the United States, but still outfitted with American-made parts will now be subject to these tariffs. He indicated that the tariff would exclude automobile parts manufactured in accordance with the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement. It was Trump’s focus on the active production plants that set his tweet and the intended agenda apart. Further, he touted their intention to return their component making divisions to American soil.
Keeping with his theme of promoting fair trade for American industries, Trump doubled down on his vow to impose foreign countries’ tariffs on American imports dollar-for-dollar. This position is about protecting American industries and promoting domestic manufacturing.
In case you missed it, the Department of Homeland Security has stopped processing several categories of legal permanent resident cards. Specifically, they are deploying more rigorous screening and vetting processes. Green cards provide their holders with indispensable protections and benefits. They empower people to live and work vigorously and permanently in the United States.
So what bold action did Trump take to prevent this calamity? He directed the US Justice Department to cease enforcement of the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. In addition, April 2 has been declared “Liberation Day” for the United States by their president.
Trump distanced himself from controversy surrounding a group chat involving top Cabinet members that mistakenly included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg, Editor-in-Chief of The Atlantic. That incident focused attention on communications security and on the potential for the administration to communicate securely or not.
“I want to find if there’s any mistake or if Signal doesn’t work. It could be that Signal is not very good company,” Trump remarked.
