For someone who has proudly called himself a “tariff man,” Donald Trump still holds a strong belief that tariffs are a powerful economic weapon. He once described them as “the greatest thing ever invented” and has continued to treat them as a central part of his economic strategy.
To him, tariffs serve as a tool that can protect American manufacturing, encourage job creation, and force other countries to follow his economic direction. Since he became president, he has introduced tariffs, paused them, and then brought them back again, shaking up global trade relationships in the process.
Even though he continues to support tariffs, Trump has started to admit that these measures might cause Americans to feel some financial pain. That point became clearer during his interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” aired Saturday, where he mentioned that he was not concerned about rising car prices.
His statement on the matter was direct and repeated. When he was questioned about the 25 percent tariffs on foreign-made cars and auto parts that are set to begin on Thursday, he said those tariffs would stay. He also noted that auto manufacturers and suppliers should consider moving their operations to the United States.
During an important moment in the interview, NBC’s Kristen Welker pressed Trump on whether he was bothered by the possibility of higher car prices, which some analysts predict could rise by thousands of dollars.
Trump brushed it off, saying, “No, I couldn’t care less,” and added that if foreign cars become too expensive, buyers would simply switch to American cars instead.
Not long after the interview aired, a presidential aide tried to explain that Trump had been talking about the price increase on foreign vehicles specifically.
Though the White House focused on foreign vehicles in their response, these new tariffs are also expected to affect American automakers like Ford and General Motors. Many of their vehicles are built in Canada and Mexico.
Based on research from S&P Global Mobility, nearly 50 percent of cars sold in the US are imported, and close to 60 percent of parts used in American-assembled cars come from abroad.
Research from the Yale Budget Lab, an independent research group, predicted that car prices would go up by around 13.5 percent because of these tariffs. That would mean an additional $6,400 on the cost of a typical 2024 model.
Reactions from Labor and White House Advisers
On Sunday, United Automobile Workers union president Shawn Fain acknowledged that tariffs could encourage car manufacturers to bring more jobs back to the US. However, he cautioned during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation” that tariffs alone would not fix everything for American workers.
For him, bringing jobs home should also mean creating union jobs that pay well and help raise industry standards. Peter Navarro, who served as a senior trade adviser under Trump, also backed the decision to move forward with tariffs. He stated that the money raised could reach about $100 billion.
That amount, according to him, could be used to give tax breaks to buyers of American-made vehicles. Navarro urged Americans to support the plan without fear of what the tariffs might bring. As he put it during his remarks on Sunday, people should simply “trust in Trump.”
