Political Quotes

“Mr. President, yesterday was a day that really captured the attention of the world. We have all been talking about tariffs for a little bit, but yesterday was the day that really brought the focus to what was going on here in the United States. At 12:01 in the morning on Wednesday, President Trump's tariffs on the countries with which the United States has had the largest trade deficits went into effect, on top of the 10-percent tariff rates that had previously applied to all countries, which had been initiated on Saturday, April 5. And then just hours later yesterday afternoon, the President announced a 90-day pause on lowering reciprocal tariffs to then 10 percent--at the same time announced that he was raising tariffs on China to 125 percent. Now today, it looks like that number is closer to 145 percent. To say this has been a dizzying week in Washington, DC, is probably an understatement. Those of us who are following the markets, it has been somewhat headspinning. I am not going to comment here on the floor today about the negotiating tactics of President Trump. I think he is legendary and really world-renowned for his skills at that--his skills in bringing nations to the table. We are seeing some of this play out literally as we speak; other countries that have approached the administration to have discussions about tariffs. This is a unique kind of leverage, most certainly keeping those across the table off-balance.…”