President Donald Trump’s nominee for Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, stated on Wednesday that he has advised Trump to implement broad tariffs on a country-by-country basis to ensure fair and reciprocal trade.
“My approach, which I discussed with the president, is to apply tariffs at a macro level, targeting entire countries,” Lutnick said during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing when asked about his preferred tariff strategy.
“We are treated unfairly in the global trading system. Other nations impose higher tariffs, enforce non-tariff trade barriers, and offer subsidies that put us at a disadvantage,” he said. “They don’t treat us well. We deserve better. We need to be treated with fairness and respect, and tariffs can help us achieve that reciprocity.”
