When it comes to tariffs, even Trump's own secretary of the treasury Scott Bessent can't answer the simple question, "Why are we doing this?"
Which is what Fox host Maria Bartiromo asked him this morning. And when the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury — who, of all people, should know the answer — drew a blank, he did what any good Trump disciple would do and went off topic.
"President Trump was elected with a mandate, he's closed the border," he answered, tapping into MAGA-made fears as a foolproof distraction tactic. "We are doing a very large deportation of criminals and people who have over stayed…so we're in the midst of that…and now Trump is tackling the trade agenda." Of course, what he meant to say was that the trade agenda is tackling us.
In summary, Bessent has no idea why Donald Trump is turning the United States into an isolated, economically broken nation. Maybe somebody should go ask Putin. (See video below, posted by Aaron Rupar.)
Previously: Trump mocked for calling tariffs "legendary" (video)
