Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared to downplay the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs while speaking at an event organized by Axios on Wednesday.
During his talk, Lutnick said, "You go to the store now, you feeling the pain of tariffs? No, because there is no pain."
"Do any of you feel anything? Seriously," he asked.
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"Yes," members of the audience said in response.
A clip from the event showing this exchange went viral on social media, where the commerce secretary was accused of "gaslighting" the public.
"Put it in an ad ASAP," said political strategist Chris Jackson reacting to the clip on the social platform X.
"This is what it looks like when an out-of-touch administration gaslights ordinary Americans about rising prices," wrote the X account "Republicans against Trump."
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"Gotta love billionaires telling everyday Americans they’re not actually feeling the pain of high prices in the grocery store," wrote MeidasTouch on its X account.
"Immediate harm and Trump budget blows out debt as they kill growth. Tariffs will be felt more over next 3, 6,9 months more and more. He knows it," wrote a user.
"Classic billionaire who has no idea how the rest of us live," said another.
In his remarks Wednesday, Lutnick acknowledged the hardship but maintained that tariffs on China were a necessary step — reiterating that consumer prices would remain stable.
The secretary added that while the administration regrets the economic strain caused by the tariffs, it was a necessary part of addressing broader trade issues. He argued that resolving such challenges takes time.
Watch the video below or at this link.