'Backed into a corner': Trump admin forced to 'defend a position that's not rooted in truth'
The steep new tariffs that U.S. President Donald Trump is imposing on countless trading partners is drawing vehement criticism from economists on both the left and the right. Liberal economists Paul Krugman and Robert Reich are highly critical of the tariffs, but so are right-wing disciples of the late Milton Friedman (who believed that high tariffs were terrible for both businesses and consumers).
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, meanwhile, is defending Trump's tariffs. But according to MSNBC host Stephanie Ruhle, doing so is extremely awkward for him.
During an early June appearance on The Daily Beast's vodcast, Ruhle argued that Bessent's defense of Trump's trade policy is very much at odds with things he said in the past.
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Ruhle told host Joanna Coles, "Scott Bessent understands how trade and trade deficit works. He knows where manufacturing lies. He understands the fiscal cliff. But he's backed into a corner with Donald Trump, having to defend a position that's not rooted in truth."
Ruhle argued that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is "happy" to defend Trump's tariffs because he is a "middle guy" rather than an "end investor" — whereas having to defend tariffs is much more difficult for Bessent, given his background.
Ruhle told Coles, "Scott Bessent deeply understands economics; that is why this is so hard for him to justify."
When Coles noted that Bessent is "scrambling to obey his boss," Ruhle agreed.
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Ruhle told the podcast host, "One of the reasons he struggles on television is because he's not telling the truth, right? You and I both know being on television is really hard, and we're actually reporting the truth. We're speaking facts."
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