Trump Adviser Says People Out of Work Due to Tariffs Should Be 'Optimistic'
By Peter Aitken
Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick hit the Sunday morning talk shows to reassure Americans that President Donald Trump's tariff plan is going to work out in the long term as dock workers and truckers report job cuts due to falling imports.
Why It Matters
On April 2, Trump, announced a slate of reciprocal tariffs that aimed to reshape trade dynamics with various partners around the world. Trump declared it "Liberation Day" to commemorate the U.S. moving away from what he described as unfair trade practices that took advantage of America's national buying power.
However, the stock market tanked for almost a week, entering into "correction" territory—when the stock market loses 10 percent of value—sparking fears of a recession. Trump walked the tariffs back and maintained a 10-percent universal tariff while engaging in negotiations with various nations.
China is the only nation to continue facing steep tariffs, totaling 145 percent, although Trump indicated he could cut that to 80 percent depending how talks between Washington and Beijing progress this week.
Howard Lutnick Commerce Secretary Trade
US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, center, and Vice President JD Vance address reporters in the Oval Office at the White House on May 8, 2025, in Washington D.C. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
What To Know
On Fox News Sunday, host Shannon Bream raised the concerns about job loss at docks and along domestic shipping routes—mainly among truckers—quoting a union official who said the much-feared negative impact of Trump's tariffs "is beginning to manifest itself as real loss of jobs and income."
Lutnick urged patience as the administration continues to negotiate with China, while admitting that the U.S. is likely to maintain a baseline 10-percent tariff on all imports. He pointed to the president's previous comments that "everybody wants to sell their goods here, so they need to do business with America."
"We're using the power of our economy to open their economy to our exporters. So that is happening right now. Yes, Scott Bessent is in Geneva talking to his counter parties right now, and let's see what happens," he said, referencing talks between the U.S. treasury secretary's meetings in Switzerland with his Chinese counterparts.
"The president said last night he was very optimistic and very positive. So you should be very optimistic, positive, because the president truthed out, and I rely on the president," Lutnick said, but he again had to address the loss of jobs due to tariffs during an appearance on State of the Union.
Lutnick dismissed concerns about lost jobs and long-term economic outlook and pointed to a recent agreement with the United Kingdom as proof that Trump's plan is working—slowly, but surely.
"We opened the opportunity for Americans to export to the United Kingdom, $5 billion more than they've ever had before—you had beef, ethanol, raw crops, vegetables, fruits, cereals, sodas, machinery," Lutnick told CNN's Dana Bash. "I mean, the list just goes on and on."
"So the idea for the president is, look, we publish our rates on Liberation Day, negotiate with us, bring those rates down by opening new markets to Americans who can export. So what's going to happen is we're going to have imports," Lutnick added.
Bash noted that while the U.S. is arguably "the consumer of the world," Trump's tariffs have put a pause in that due to a significant decrease in imports from China, but Lutnick stressed that the administration is still negotiating with Beijing.
"The president's tariff policy is: Let's open all the markets in the world that have been closed to us," Lutnick said. "Let's get that opportunity for Americans to export to them. Let's really, really help Americans export."
"We are the greatest economy in the world," he continued. "Everybody wants to come here, as the president likes to say, Everybody likes to shop here with our consumers, and it's going to work out great."
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What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social wrote: "A very good meeting today with China, in Switzerland. Many things discussed, much agreed to. A total reset negotiated in a friendly, but constructive, manner. We want to see, for the good of both China and the U.S., an opening up of China to American business. GREAT PROGRESS MADE!!!"
Spencer Hakimian, the founder of Tolou Capital Management, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "I cannot stress enough that a suspension of tariffs by this weekend really isn't optional anymore. It's either a complete economic collapse. Or a pause on the tariffs to let global trade begin again. There's no gray area here."
What Happens Next
The U.S. and China will continue trade negotiations, which could result in a decrease in the tariffs each nation has placed on the other to allow more free-flowing trade again.
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