Among members of Congress, responses to President Donald Trump's steep new tariffs range from scathing criticism from many Democrats to praise from MAGA Republicans to lukewarm criticism from other Republicans.
Sen. John Kennedy (R-Louisiana) is a frequent defender of Trump, but he has strong reservations about Trump's tariffs. And he is trying to voice his opposition without sounding like he is attacking the president.
Kennedy voiced his concerns during a Monday, April 14 appearance on CNN, accusing some Trump Administration officials of being "inconsistent" when it comes to talking about tariffs.
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The Louisiana senator told CNN's Jake Tapper, "I see a lot of uncertainty, and I think to some extent, it's intentional. If you listen to the president's aides weekend before last and then listen to him this weekend, you don't have to be Einstein's cousin to figure out they were saying things that were inconsistent. That raises one of two possibilities to me: Either it's intentional, or are these folks aren't competent to manage a food truck."
Kennedy continued, "Now, I know them. They're intelligent people, whether you agree with them or not. So I think the (Trump) Administration, for whatever reason, is obfuscating a little bit. Maybe it's part of the president's negotiating strategy. I just don't know."
The senator also lamented that the Trump Administration isn't being "clear" about the reasons for imposing new tariffs.
"I think I know what's in the president’s heart," Kennedy told Tapper, "but I don't know what's in his head…. The (Trump) Administration has not given one clear rationale for its tariffs. I think that's intentional. I don't know, but my guess is it's intentional and that it is part of the president's negotiating strategy."
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Kennedy added, "But Jake, I don’t want to feign understanding here. I don’t know. But that's my best guess, knowing how the president operates."
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Watch the CNN video below or at this link.