White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller promised the “largest tax cut in history” on Thursday as pressure ramps up on the White House over tariffs.
Miller touted legislation that lawmakers on Capitol Hill are currently negotiating, which is expected to make President Donald Trump’s 2017 tax cuts permanent. The White House official said during a press conference that the proposal would encourage companies to invest in the United States.
“The relief for small businesses is going to come in the form of the largest tax cut in American history – a tax cut, by the way, that every single Democrat is planning to vote against,” Miller <a href="https://x.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917935956310606034" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “They&#8217;re voting for a tax hike for every middle-class family of about $4000.”
“Companies that invest in the United States will be able to deduct 100% of that cost from their tax liability. This will be the most pro-small business tax bill in American history,” he continued. “At the same time, this is what you have to understand about the plan, as they&#8217;re able to do that, as they&#8217;re able to reshore those supply chains, that also means they&#8217;ll pay no tariff. So, you&#8217;ll have the lowest tax environment and there&#8217;ll be no tariff because their production and supply chains will be in the United States.”
On Wednesday, the stock market <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stock-prices-drop-after-new-data-shows-gdp-shrank-since-start-of-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped</a> after new data from the Department of Commerce showed that U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), a measure of the economy&#8217;s health, shrank 0.3% in the first quarter of 2025.
The reduction in GDP came as Trump waged trade wars with China, Canada, and Mexico, and levied a flat 10% tariff across dozens of countries, with higher tariffs threatened. The tariffs sparked a surge in imports as companies rushed to get products to the United States before the tariffs took effect. The rise in imports significantly prevented a positive U.S. GDP.
Wells Fargo economist Shannon Grein said that the topline GDP contraction makes the U.S. economy appear weaker than it is.
“The headline decline overstates weakness because a lot of that was tariff-induced pull-forward,” Grein said. “Overall, I think that it was a relatively solid underlying report when it comes to demand.”
The White House has played up the expectation of new trade deals soon to avoid tariffs on dozens of countries. An absence of trade deals in the future could shake investor confidence and push stock prices lower still.

Stephen Miller

Stephen Miller: Small Business Relief Will Come From ‘Largest Tax Cut In History’

Donald Trump

Economy

Politics

Tariffs

Tax Cuts

White House

German automaker Mercedes-Benz announced on Thursday that it will move production of one of its &#8220;core segment&#8221; vehicles to the United States, nearly a month after President Donald Trump&#8217;s 25% tariff on imported vehicles took effect.
Mercedes did not specify which vehicle it will begin producing in the United States, but said that a &#8220;core vehicle segment&#8221; would be manufactured at a factory in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-01/mercedes-will-move-output-of-key-model-to-us-to-counter-tariffs?srnd=homepage-americas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The automotive company plans to shift vehicle assembly to the United States by 2027.
“We are getting even closer to the U.S. customer by localizing a core segment model in Tuscaloosa, strengthening our ties to the North American market where a range of Mercedes-Benz vehicles, including the GLE and GLS models, have their roots,” <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/05/01/mercedes-benz-alabama-plant-trump-tariffs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Mercedes-Benz North America CEO Jason Hoff.
The White House celebrated the announcement from Mercedes, saying in a statement, &#8220;Today, Mercedes-Benz announced it will move production of another vehicle to the U.S. — the latest result of President Donald J. Trump’s relentless pursuit of American manufacturing dominance.&#8221;
Mercedes added that the Alabama plant has become &#8220;the global export hub for Mercedes-Benz SUVs.&#8221; The Mercedes GLC sport utility vehicle has become increasingly popular in the United States, seeing a 58% increase in sales last year. Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-01/mercedes-weighs-pulling-us-entry-level-cars-over-trump-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last month that Mercedes was considering pulling its least expensive vehicles from the U.S. market due to tariffs.
Earlier this week, Trump struck a deal with the auto industry to provide some tariff relief in return for commitments to bring more manufacturing back to the United States. Under new tariff rules, auto manufacturers will continue to pay a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, but they will not be subject to any additional levies, such as those on steel and aluminum.
American auto CEOs thanked Trump for the tariff relief and pledged to continue seeking ways to increase domestic production. Other foreign auto companies have also said they will ramp up investments in the United States following Trump&#8217;s tariffs. Hyundai <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/tariffs-very-strongly-work-trump-announces-21-billion-hyundai-investment-in-u-s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> a $21 billion investment in the United States over the next four years, starting with a steel plant in Louisiana that is expected to create nearly 1,500 jobs. BMW, another German automaker, is also looking to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2025/04/10/bmw-production-boost-us-plant/83034910007/#:~:text=German%20automaker%20BMW%20BWMG.DE,Research%20and%20confirmed%20by%20BMW.&amp;text=The%20investor%20call%20was%20held,relief%2C%20according%20to%20the%20note." target="_blank" rel="noopener">boost</a> manufacturing in the United States.

Mercedes-Benz

Mercedes Says It Will Make Another Car In The U.S. After Trump Tariffs

Alabama

Auto Companies

Business

On Wednesday, the GOP-led Senate rejected a resolution designed to undo President Donald Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs, an outcome that came down to attendance.
Two members who oppose the tariffs missed the vote — Sen. Shelton Whitehouse (D-RI), who was <a href="https://x.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1917693186673193093" target="_blank" rel="noopener">heading back</a> from a conference in South Korea, and Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) — and the resolution failed to pass in a 49-49 tie.
A motion to reconsider the resolution at a future date followed, but Republicans <a href="https://x.com/frankthorp/status/1917716671277551851" target="_blank" rel="noopener">moved</a> to table it. Ultimately, Vice President JD Vance came in with a <a href="https://x.com/SenatePress/status/1917734756566831491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tie-breaking vote</a>, ending the bid to undermine Trump&#8217;s tariffs.
The <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ROS25748-IEEPA-Global-Tariffs-Resolution.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resolution</a>, introduced by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Ron Wyden (D-OR), sought to terminate the national emergency declaration that Trump used to impose his &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs in early April.
In a statement, Paul <a href="https://www.paul.senate.gov/paul-and-wyden-introduce-bipartisan-resolution-to-reassert-congressional-authority-over-tax-policy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> tariffs &#8220;are taxes, and the power to tax belongs to Congress—not the president. He also declared, &#8220;It’s time Congress reasserts its authority and restores the balance of power.&#8221;
The tariffs imposed a 10% rate on imports from many nations, with higher rates in some cases. Trump granted a 90-day pause, keeping only the base rate for most countries, but escalated China’s tariffs to 145% after Beijing’s retaliatory measures.
Officials in the Trump administration have been working to negotiate <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sorry-china-bessent-says-deal-with-massive-trade-partner-very-close" target="_blank" rel="noopener">deals</a> to remedy what they say are grievous trade imbalances while a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stock-prices-drop-after-new-data-shows-gdp-shrank-since-start-of-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">shrinking</a> U.S. economy <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/stock-prices-drop-after-new-data-shows-gdp-shrank-since-start-of-year" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grapples</a> with the tariffs as well as cuts in federal spending programs.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senate-vote-on-trump-liberation-day-tariffs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly</a> said &#8220;the tariff issue is something that&#8217;s &#8230; an open question, but we&#8217;re giving them some space to negotiate and see if they can get some good deals.&#8221;
The two Republicans who joined Paul in voting to rein in Trump&#8217;s &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs on Wednesday were Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME). McConnell likely would have joined them.
&#8220;The Senator has been consistent in opposing tariffs and that a trade war is not in the best interest of American households and businesses,&#8221; McConnell&#8217;s spokesman <a href="https://x.com/frankthorp/status/1917716432835485887" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement. &#8220;He believes that tariffs are a tax increase on everybody.&#8221;
McConnell and the other Republican defectors previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/four-senate-republicans-vote-upend-trump-canada-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined forces</a> with Democrats and independents to pass a similar resolution seeking to stop Trump&#8217;s 25% tariffs on Canadian goods.
Still, like with the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/house-dem-angles-to-force-vote-to-scrap-trumps-liberation-day-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canada measure</a>, the &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; resolution was expected to hit a wall if it reached the House.
House Republican leadership placed a provision in a <a href="https://rules.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/rules.house.gov/files/documents/rule-satohconres14v2.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rule</a> for the budget reconciliation resolution that blocked members from forcing a vote on the national emergency underlying the &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs, at least until October.
Paul rebuked the lower chamber in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOK2NW7Va6E" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a>, declaring, &#8220;The Founders would not have expected the House of Representatives to become so craven as to not even allow a vote on ending the emergency.&#8221;
On Monday, the White House issued a <a href="https://www.scribd.com/document/855374582/White-House-Veto-Senate-Bill" target="_blank" rel="noopener">veto threat</a> against the Senate &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; measure.
&#8220;This resolution would undermine the Administration’s efforts to address the unusual and extraordinary threats to national security and economic stability, posed by the conditions reflected in the large and persistent annual U.S. goods trade deficit,&#8221; the Office of Management and Budget said in a statement.
Congress may not be done trying to restrain presidential tariff powers.
A bipartisan pair, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), <a href="https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-cantwell-introduce-bill-to-restore-congress-constitutional-role-in-trade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> a bill to require congressional approval within 60 days for unilateral tariffs imposed by the president or else they would expire, plus the measure would give lawmakers to end the levies at any time.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)

Senate Rejects Bid To Stop Trump’s ‘Liberation Day ‘Tariffs; Vance Stifles Attempt To Resurrect It

Congress

JD Vance

Trade War

U.S.

U.S. Senate

Stock prices tumbled on Wednesday after a new report showed that the U.S. economy shrank in the first quarter of 2025.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.8%, while The S&amp;P 500 dropped 1.1%. The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite fell 1.5%, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/stock-market-today-live-updates.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNBC</a>. The drop in value followed a report from the Commerce Department that showed the U.S. GDP shrank 0.3% in the first three months of the year.
“This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th. Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers,” President Donald Trump posted on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114427089568235019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a> on Wednesday morning. “Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden ‘Overhang.’ This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!”
The underwhelming economic report hit after economists predicted that the U.S. GDP would grow by 0.4% in the first quarter. GDP contracted instead as Trump’s tariff policies drove up imports, which are subtracted from net exports as part of the calculation of a final GDP figure. It is the first contraction in the U.S. economy since the first quarter of 2022, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/economy/us-gdp-q1-2025-1f82f689" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
Trump paused and cut billions in government spending, which suppressed GDP growth. Consumer spending fell, as well.
Trump’s moves on trade – hefty tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico, alongside a flat 10% tariff across the board with higher duties threatened – had the largest impact on the GDP report. Net exports, which is U.S. exports minus imports, subtracted 5% from the rest of the GDP calculation, according to WSJ.
Wells Fargo economist Shannon Grein said that the topline GDP contraction makes the U.S. economy appear weaker than it is.
“The headline decline overstates weakness because a lot of that was tariff-induced pull-forward,” Grein said. “Overall, I think that it was a relatively solid underlying report when it comes to demand.”
The GDP report has sparked concerns that the United States could be in recession. A recession is typically defined as two consecutive quarters of economic contraction.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, said that Trump’s tariffs have spurred significant new investment in the United States. He also downplayed the impact of tariffs on the latest GDP numbers.
“I have the pleasure of running the investment accelerator, which gets to recruit these companies, and you&#8217;ve never seen anything like the companies committed to building in America. Technology companies have committed over $2.5 trillion to build in America based on your tariffs,” Lutnick said. “Sovereign countries all backing, the whole Middle East and all these countries backing their sovereign wealth funds, they all want to invest in America, and they&#8217;re coming in, again, over $3 trillion committed.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Commerce Secretary <a href="https://twitter.com/howardlutnick?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@howardlutnick</a>: &quot;Technology companies have committed over $2.5 trillion to build in America based on your tariffs&#8230; Then you&#39;ve got the whole pharma industry knows it&#39;s got to come home&#8230; Auto is coming home, industrial is coming home.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/BHXpjTovB9">pic.twitter.com/BHXpjTovB9</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917608615269261580?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Trump announced new investments and pledges to the United States from companies committed to building domestically because of tariffs totaling $8 trillion.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
President Trump and Commerce Secretary Lutnick tout the 8 TRILLION dollars of new investments in America as a result of tariffs.
Lutnick: &quot;And this is all driven by your tariff policies. No chance this would be happening without it.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/Q8nLnX294F">pic.twitter.com/Q8nLnX294F</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1917606795486585080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 30, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

New York Stock Exchange

Stock Prices Drop After New Data Shows GDP Shrank Since Start Of Year

Department of Commerce

Stock Market

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the dropping stock market is the fault of former President Joe Biden, adding that slow economic growth is from &#8220;the Biden overhang&#8221; and &#8220;has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS.&#8221;
Trump made the comment on <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/114427089568235019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Truth Social</a> as the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&amp;P 500, and Nasdaq Composite all dipped again Wednesday morning. Since Trump&#8217;s massive tariff rollout, which began with hitting China, Canada, and Mexico in early February, the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/djia?mod=mw_quote_switch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dow Jones</a> has dropped by around 5,000 points, the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/comp?mod=mw_quote_switch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nasdaq</a> is down nearly 2,000 points, and the <a href="https://www.marketwatch.com/investing/index/spx?mod=mw_quote_switch" target="_blank" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500</a> is down around 500 points.
&#8220;This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th,&#8221; Trump said. &#8220;Tariffs will soon start kicking in, and companies are starting to move into the USA in record numbers. Our Country will boom, but we have to get rid of the Biden &#8216;Overhang.&#8217; This will take a while, has NOTHING TO DO WITH TARIFFS, only that he left us with bad numbers, but when the boom begins, it will be like no other. BE PATIENT!!!&#8221;
The president has <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-tells-americans-to-be-patient-as-global-markets-keep-dropping-over-tariffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">repeatedly</a> asked Americans to remain patient as his economic and trade policies take effect, but many Americans are still uneasy about how Trump&#8217;s tariffs will affect the U.S. economy. On Wednesday, a U.S. Department of Commerce report showed that gross domestic product fell at a 0.3% annualized pace over the first quarter of 2025, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/30/trump-gdp-tariffs-biden-overhang.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. It was the first quarter of negative growth since the first quarter of 2022.
The Commerce Department report pointed to Trump&#8217;s tariffs as a reason for the decline in GDP in Q1, as companies tried to get ahead of the tariffs by ramping up imports. The Trump administration&#8217;s cut to defense spending also contributed to the GDP slowdown.
In January 2024, Trump took credit for a rising stock market under former President Biden. In a Truth Social post, Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/111840568643216314" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a>, &#8220;THIS IS THE TRUMP STOCK MARKET BECAUSE MY POLLS AGAINST BIDEN ARE SO GOOD THAT INVESTORS ARE PROJECTING THAT I WILL WIN, AND THAT WILL DRIVE THE MARKET UP.&#8221;
The stock market reacted positively last week after the Trump administration hinted that the trade war with China might be coming to an end. Last Tuesday, after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned against a prolonged trade war, Trump said the 145% tariff on China &#8220;will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.&#8221; As the White House says that numerous countries are ready to make a trade deal, Trump is still trying to bring China to the negotiating table.

Trump: This Is Biden’s Stock Market

Executive

Joe Biden

President Donald Trump said he talked to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday shortly after a report claimed that the e-commerce giant was going to show the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hostile-white-house-sounds-off-after-amazon-says-it-will-display-tariff-costs-for-consumers?topStoryPosition=undefined&amp;author=Zach+Jewell&amp;category=News&amp;elementPosition=4&amp;row=1&amp;rowHeadline=Top+Stories&amp;rowType=Top+Stories&amp;title=%E2%80%98Hostile%E2%80%99%3A+White+House+Sounds+Off+On+Amazon+Reportedly+Displaying+Tariff+Costs+For+Consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost of tariffs</a> next to the total price of products on its site.
Trump said that Bezos &#8220;solved the problem very quickly&#8221; after Punchbowl News reported that Amazon was planning to display tariff costs. Shortly after the Punchbowl News report was published, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted Amazon, calling its reported move &#8220;hostile and political.&#8221; Amazon <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/amazon-denies-that-it-considered-listing-tariff-costs-on-main-site-after-trump-backlash" target="_blank" rel="noopener">responded</a> to the report Tuesday morning, denying that it was planning to show tariff costs on its main website.
&#8220;Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly, and he did the right thing,&#8221; Trump told reporters before boarding Marine One Tuesday afternoon. &#8220;He&#8217;s a good guy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a> on Amazon: &#8220;Jeff Bezos was very nice. He was terrific. He solved the problem very quickly and he did the right thing.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/AGrFLA9u1X">pic.twitter.com/AGrFLA9u1X</a>
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917288272344055882?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bezos has grown warmer toward Trump after the 2024 presidential election, attending his inauguration and meeting him at Mar-a-Lago. Leavitt didn&#8217;t pull any punches in her comments about Amazon, however, and said that its reported decision was “not a surprise,” pointing to a 2021 Reuters report about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China’s wishes for the website. A senior White House official told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/29/business/white-house-calls-report-that-amazon-is-adding-a-tariff-charge-a-hostile-action/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> that Trump &#8220;was pissed&#8221; after learning of Amazon&#8217;s reported plan to add a tariff charge.
After Leavitt blasted Amazon, a spokesman for the company said that the plan was only discussed for the “ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,” which “considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” ABC News reported. The spokesman added, “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Amazon, an American company that sources over 70% of its products from China, is facing the brunt of Trump&#8217;s 145% tariff on China. Chinese clothing stores Temu and Shein have added tariff surcharges, showing an additional 145% &#8220;import charge&#8221; for each item that they sell, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/white-house-blasts-amazon-over-tariff-cost-report-hostile-and-political-act.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

Trump Called Jeff Bezos After Report Claimed Amazon Was Planning To Show Tariff Costs

Amazon

China

Jeff Bezos

A deal with India is &#8220;very close,&#8221; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday, signaling what could be a major breakthrough in negotiations with a significant trade partner.
Many foreign countries, including India, face a 10% baseline tariff after President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause for harsher &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs he unveiled at the beginning of April. The tariffs for India could rise to 26%, which was the initial rate, if a deal is not reached.
At a White House press briefing, a reporter asked Bessent if he had anything to share on whether &#8220;something could happen&#8221; this week or the next. He <a href="https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2025/04/29/bessent_trade_talks_with_india_korea_japan.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">chose</a> to focus on India.
&#8220;I think we’re very close on India,&#8221; Bessent said. &#8220;India — just a little inside baseball. India, in a funny way, is easier to negotiate with than many other countries because they have very high tariffs and lots of tariffs.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;So, it’s much easier to confront the direct tariffs when, as we go through these unfair trade deals that have been put in over decades, that the non-tariff trade barriers can be much more insidious and also harder to detect. So, a country like India, which has the posted and ready tariffs, it’s much easier to negotiate with them. I think the India negotiations will move well.&#8221;
Last week, Vice President JD Vance travelled to India and met with the country&#8217;s prime minister, Narendra Modi.
Vance <a href="https://x.com/EricLDaugh/status/1914650218940805207" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> the United States and India finalized the “terms of reference” for a trade negotiation, adding that he believed it was a &#8220;vital step toward realizing President Trump&#8217;s and Prime Minister Modi&#8217;s vision because it sets a roadmap toward a final deal.&#8221;
India, along with Japan and South Korea, seem to be making the greatest amount of headway in talks with the United States.
These &#8220;Asian trading partners and allies,&#8221; Bessent said, &#8220;have been the most forthcoming in terms of doing the deals &#8230; Vice President Vance was in India last week. I think that he and President Modi made very good progress, so I could see some announcements on India. I could see the contours of a deal with the Republic of Korea coming together, and then we&#8217;ve had substantial talks with the Japanese.&#8221;
Because Japan and South Korea have elections coming up in the months ahead, Bessent sees an opportunity to reach agreements with them sooner rather than later.
&#8220;I think from our talks that these governments actually want to have the framework of a trade deal done before they go into the elections to show that they have successfully negotiated with the United States,&#8221; Bessent said. &#8220;So, we’re finding that they’re actually much more keen to come to the table, get this done, and then go home and campaign on it.&#8221;
Trump implemented the &#8220;Liberation Day&#8221; tariffs by declaring a <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/04/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-trump-declares-national-emergency-to-increase-our-competitive-edge-protect-our-sovereignty-and-strengthen-our-national-and-economic-security/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">national emergency</a> to combat what his administration says are unfair trade practices, protect American workers, and strengthen national security. While most countries received a 90-day reprieve, the United States <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-issues-90-day-pause-on-most-tariffs-raises-chinas-to-125" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> the overall tariff level on China to 145%. Beijing responded by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/11/china-strikes-back-with-125percent-tariffs-on-us-goods-starting-april-12.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raising</a> tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.
Bessent would not say during the briefing whether Trump administration officials have been talking with their counterparts from China about tariffs, but he did <a href="https://grabien.com/story?id=525096" target="_blank" rel="noopener">express</a> the view that, &#8220;over time, we will see that the Chinese tariffs are unsustainable for China.&#8221;

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Sorry, China: Bessent Says Deal With Massive Trade Partner ‘Very Close’

Global Politics

India

Japan

Scott Bessent

South Korea

World

Amazon denied on Tuesday that it was planning to show the cost that tariffs would add to the price of products on its website, pushing back on a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/hostile-white-house-sounds-off-after-amazon-says-it-will-display-tariff-costs-for-consumers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Punchbowl News after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt blasted the Seattle-based company.
Leavitt ripped Amazon for taking a &#8220;hostile and political&#8221; action, adding, “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?” After backlash from the White House, the company said that it &#8220;never&#8221; considered showing tariff costs on &#8220;the main Amazon site.&#8221;
An Amazon spokesman said on Tuesday morning that the plan was only discussed for the &#8220;ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,&#8221; which &#8220;considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,&#8221; ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, &#8220;Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.&#8221;
Asked about the Punchbowl report during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, Leavitt said that she had just spoken to President Donald Trump about the issue. Leavitt also pointed to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China’s wishes for the website. More than 70% of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump’s 145% tariff on the country.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has not commented on the Punchbowl report. Bezos has cozied up to Trump since the 2024 election, joining Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago after the election and attending Trump&#8217;s inauguration after Amazon donated $1 million to the inaugural fund.

Amazon Denies That It Considered Listing Tariff Costs On ‘Main’ Site After Trump Backlash

Karoline Leavitt

Trump Administration

The White House confirmed on Tuesday that President Donald Trump will sign an order protecting the auto industry from tariffs &#8220;stacking&#8221; on top of each other in exchange for continued focus on domestic production.
Auto manufacturers will continue to pay a 25% tariff for imported vehicles, but Trump&#8217;s order will prevent any additional tariffs, such as the 25% tax on steel and aluminum, from affecting car companies, CNBC <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/29/trump-auto-tariffs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Trump&#8217;s order will be retroactive, allowing automakers to receive reimbursements for tariffs they have already paid, according to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/business/autos/trump-tariffs-autos-exceptions-fc634efd?mod=hp_lead_pos1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Wall Street Journal</a>.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during a White House press briefing on Tuesday that the president&#8217;s move shows a commitment to bringing car manufacturing back to the United States. “We want to give the automakers a path to do that quickly, efficiently, and create as many jobs as possible,” he said.
The change comes after automakers called on the Trump administration to provide some relief from the tariffs that have been stacking up on the car industry. Six lobbyists representing U.S. automotive groups joined forces last week to argue against implementing tariffs on foreign auto parts, a tax that is set to take effect on May 3.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that the 25% tariff on foreign auto parts will also be modified, allowing car manufacturers to be reimbursed up to 3.75% of the value of the U.S.-made car in the first year. The reimbursement would drop to 2.5% of the car&#8217;s value in the second year and then be phased out.
In exchange for the tariff relief, car manufacturers reportedly committed to furthering domestic production, a key point for the Trump administration.
“President Trump is building an important partnership with both the domestic automakers and our great American workers,” said Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “This deal will be a major victory for the president’s trade policy by rewarding companies who are already manufacturing domestically, while providing a runway to manufacturers who have expressed their commitment in investing in America and expanding domestic manufacturing.”
The Ford Motor Company thanked the president for the tariff relief, saying in a statement, “Ford welcomes and appreciates these decisions by President Trump, which will help mitigate the impact of tariffs on automakers, suppliers and consumers.”
&#8220;We will continue to work closely with the administration in support of the president’s vision for a healthy and growing auto industry in America,&#8221; Ford CEO Jim Farley added. &#8220;Ford sees policies that encourage exports and ensure affordable supply chains to promote more domestic growth as essential.&#8221;
Stellantis Chair John Elkann added, “Stellantis appreciates the tariff relief measures decided by President Trump. While we further assess the impact of the tariff policies on our North American operations, we look forward to our continued collaboration with the U.S. Administration to strengthen a competitive American auto industry and stimulate exports.”
General Motors CEO Mary Barra also expressed her gratitude for the &#8220;productive conversations with the President and his Administration.&#8221;

Ford assembly line

‘A Major Victory:’ Trump Makes Deal With Auto Industry For Tariff Relief

Ford Motor Co.

Amazon will begin displaying the cost that President Donald Trump&#8217;s tariffs are adding to the price of products, according to Punchbowl News, irking the Trump administration, which on Tuesday described Amazon&#8217;s move as &#8220;hostile and political.&#8221;
Punchbowl News <a href="https://punchbowl.news/article/tech/amazon-display-tariff-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the massive e-commerce company will show the cost that tariffs add to each product next to the total price. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt <a href="https://x.com/PhilipWegmann/status/1917201780687135018" target="_blank" rel="noopener">blasted</a> Amazon during a press briefing on Tuesday morning, saying she &#8220;just got off the phone with the president,&#8221; who discussed Amazon&#8217;s decision.
&#8220;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,&#8221; Leavitt said. &#8220;Why didn&#8217;t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?&#8221;
Amazon denied that it was planning to show the cost of tariffs next to products shortly after Leavitt&#8217;s comments. An Amazon spokesman said that the plan was only discussed for the “ultra low cost Amazon Haul store,” which “considered the idea of listing import charges on certain products,” ABC News <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/live-updates/trump-admin-live-updates-border-czar-brief-securing/?id=121230740&amp;entryId=121277073" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The spokesman added, “Teams discuss ideas all the time. This was never a consideration for the main Amazon site and nothing has been implemented on any Amazon properties.”
Leavitt said that Amazon&#8217;s reported decision is &#8220;not a surprise,&#8221; pointing to a 2021 Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/china/amazon-partnered-with-china-propaganda-arm-win-beijings-favor-document-shows-2021-12-17/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> about the tech and e-commerce giant partnering with a Chinese propaganda arm and complying with some of communist China&#8217;s wishes for the website.
&#8220;This is another reason why Americans should buy American. It&#8217;s another reason why we are onshoring critical supply chains here at home to shore up our own critical supply chain and boost our own manufacturing,&#8221; Leavitt said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> reacts to Amazon&#39;s announcement on tariffs: &quot;This is a hostile and political act by Amazon&#8230; It&#39;s not a surprise because, as Reuters recently wrote, Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm&#8230; This is another reason Americans should buy American.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/jtXZYfR8rH">pic.twitter.com/jtXZYfR8rH</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1917203919521882362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 29, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Some economists express concerns that the president&#8217;s tariffs on China will mostly hurt American consumers. More than <a href="https://www.statista.com/chart/33376/share-of-items-sold-on-amazon-by-country-of-origin/#:~:text=More%20than%2070%20percent%20of,above%20the%20100%20percent%20mark." target="_blank" rel="noopener">70%</a> of Amazon&#8217;s products are sourced in China and subject to Trump&#8217;s 145% tariff on the country. The president hinted at an end to the escalating trade war with China soon, saying last week that the tariff on China &#8220;will come down substantially, but it won’t be zero.&#8221; China has retaliated with a 125% tariff on American goods.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has grown warmer toward Trump in recent months. After Trump&#8217;s election victory, Bezos dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago, and Amazon donated $1 million to the president&#8217;s inauguration. Bezos, who also owns The Washington Post, has also been hit by the Left for <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/wapo-opinion-editor-quits-after-jeff-bezos-announces-significant-shift-in-opinion-section" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dialing back</a> the newspaper&#8217;s opinion section and reportedly urging the Post to hire more conservative columnists.
This article has been updated with additional information.

White House Press Briefing

‘Hostile’: White House Sounds Off On Amazon Reportedly Displaying Tariff Costs For Consumers

Tuesday marks 100 days of President Trump&#8217;s second term.
President Trump has done an enormous number of amazing things, ranging from fighting DEI in every aspect of his administration to targeting university campuses that are hotbeds of antisemitism and leftism and wokeness, to having the Secretary of Defense try to fix all the problems at the Pentagon, to establishing DOGE, which is going through all aspects of government spending with Elon Musk and attempting to cut waste, fraud and abuse.
The president has issued more executive orders in his first 100 days than any president in history. He&#8217;s been incredibly effective in terms of pushing forward many parts of his agenda.
With all of that said, the <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/27/trump-poll-approval-rating-100-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polling</a> right now for President Trump is not good. That is a reflection of public sentiment specifically regarding the economy. And that is all before the main effect of the tariff war that he has declared kicks in.
The good news for President Trump is that he&#8217;s blessed by his enemies, because they are awful. The American people hate the people that President Trump faces down even more than they dislike President Trump.
The same Washington Post/ABC News-Ipsos <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/27/trump-poll-approval-rating-100-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a> showing President Trump with a 39% approval rating also shows that 7 in 10 Americans say the Democratic Party is out of touch, while 6 in 10 say that about Trump.
So whatever the American people think of President Trump, they think even less about the Democratic Party.
<h3><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/bss-ep-2187-member-exclusive?elementPosition=0&amp;row=0&amp;rowType=Vertical+Show+Episodes+Carousel" target="_blank" rel="noopener">WATCH: The Ben Shapiro Show</a></h3>
There’s a good reason for that, which is that the Democratic Party is so unbelievably unhinged. They are truly incompetent. It is amazing. It&#8217;s a target-rich environment for Democrats out there, particularly on the economy — but they cannot help themselves because they&#8217;re constantly running to the radical left of their own base. They&#8217;re saying idiotic things on a daily basis.
Over the weekend, J.B. Pritzker — the rotund governor of Illinois who has to be lowered into the Illinois capital by crane — was <a href="https://x.com/IsaacDovere/status/1916660604577763511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">giving a speech</a> in which he suggested that anybody who is a supporter of Trump ought to be harassed on the streets.
He declared: 
<blockquote>Never before in my life have I called for mass protests, for mobilization, for disruption. But I have now. These Republicans cannot know a moment of peace. They have to understand that we will fight their cruelty with every megaphone and every microphone that we have. We must castigate them on the soapbox and then punish them at the ballot box.</blockquote>
Democrats are unhinged. Instead of them simply saying, “President Trump isn&#8217;t doing the job Americans want him to do,” which would be the smart way to actually approach this, they&#8217;ve decided instead that they&#8217;re going to go psychotic.
Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader and would-be House speaker, was in the middle of a protest when he <a href="https://x.com/IsaacDovere/status/1916660604577763511" target="_blank" rel="noopener">started quoting</a> Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War, suggesting that America could break down between patriots and traitors. Presumably, the traitors in his mind would be Republicans. 
He quoted Grant saying: 
<blockquote>Whatever may have been my political opinions before, I have but one sentiment now: that is, we have a government, and laws, and a flag, and they must all be sustained. There are but two parties now: traitors and patriots.</blockquote>
This is just psychotic, because he’s not even arguing about the supposed violation of law by the Trump administration. He&#8217;s not arguing about emoluments. He&#8217;s arguing here about the budget. He&#8217;s suggesting if you&#8217;re on the wrong side of the budget negotiation, then you are a traitor. 
President Trump is blessed in his opposition. He brings out the absolute worst in all of his enemies. Jon Ossoff, the soon-to-be ex-senator from Georgia, was trying to rile up the Democratic base, and said that he&#8217;d be <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/sen-jon-ossoff-signals-support-trump-impeachment-rcna203126" target="_blank" rel="noopener">in favor</a> of impeaching President Trump for selling meme coins as a fundraiser. 
With all of that said, it is not good news for President Trump that he&#8217;s riding so low in the polls. That&#8217;s particularly true with independents; according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/27/trump-poll-approval-rating-100-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a brand-new</a> Washington Post/ABC News-Ipsos poll, among independents, only 33% approve of Trump while 58% disapprove. Among independents who lean Republican, Trump&#8217;s approval has dropped from 76% to 63% since February.
There&#8217;s one reason for this drop, and that reason is not immigration. That reason is not foreign policy. That reason is the tariff war. The tariff war has absolutely crippled him.
According to that <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/27/trump-poll-approval-rating-100-days/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">poll</a>, only 31% of Americans approve of the recent turmoil in the stock market. Only 34% of Americans approve of tariffs on imported goods. Only 38% approve of his relations with foreign countries, only 39% approve of his work on the economy.
The problem, however, is that whenever a president is unpopular on one issue, it tends to drag him down on a wide variety of other issues. On immigration, which is a signal issue, his key issue since 2015, President Trump is succeeding. But when it comes to the economy and expanding the power of the presidency, 64% of Americans say that he&#8217;s going too far.
If you&#8217;re hoping for President Trump&#8217;s success, as I am — as someone who voted for him and fundraised for him — he needs to succeed on the economy because if he doesn’t, everything else goes down in flames.
I&#8217;m talking to people who are in the wholesale and retail space and they are freaking out about the tariffs. They’re seeing their orders cut while prices increase. They’re seeing the supply chains break and ships arriving empty. There are a lot of fears of actual shortages and price hikes. I know people who are in the import/export business and they&#8217;re getting hammered, some looking at the possibility of actual bankruptcy. The Magnificent Seven are off to their worst start to a year.
As I’ve said before, there are preconditions to fighting a successful trade war. You need to get ready for it just like a regular war. If you&#8217;re going to win a regular war, you need to make sure your supply lines are in place. You need to make sure that you actually have the material. You have to have your allies in place.
Meanwhile, Congress needs to get the tax bill through ASAP.
President Trump&#8217;s presidency now relies on a couple of things. First, ending this trade war or recalibrating it so that it will be more likely to be successful, which will require dramatic moves. Second, passing the tax bill. If neither of those things happens, then President Trump&#8217;s presidency will continue to spin out. That’s because as the economy goes, President Trump&#8217;s promise for all of his career has been that he&#8217;s a great businessman, and he would make sure the economy was okay. 
Getting the economy right is what President Trump needs to do if he wishes to make the American people happy with his presidency again, which will give him the political capital necessary to do everything else.
That would be fantastic, because he is getting so many other things dead-right.

TOPSHOT-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-HABBA

100 Days: Where Does Trump Stand?

Ben Shapiro

Democrats

Hakeem Jeffries

J.B. Pritzker

Polls

Presidency

President Trump

Republicans

Washington Post

On Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent revealed that he interacted with his Chinese counterpart this past week, a contact that comes as the United States and China are engaged in a trade war.
Beijing has denied there were trade talks with the United States, but President Donald Trump <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/24/china-says-no-talks-with-the-us-on-trade-calls-for-canceling-unilateral-tariffs.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">insisted</a> to reporters that there were meetings with China.
On ABC&#8217;s &#8220;This Week,&#8221; Bessent told anchor Martha Raddatz, &#8220;This was IMF World Bank week in D.C., as you know, and I had interaction with my Chinese counterpart, but it was more on traditional things like financial stability, global economic early warnings.&#8221;
The United States has <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-issues-90-day-pause-on-most-tariffs-raises-chinas-to-125" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased</a> tariffs on China to 145% in bid to stop what the Trump administration says are unfair trade practices. China responded by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/11/china-strikes-back-with-125percent-tariffs-on-us-goods-starting-april-12.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raising</a> tariffs on U.S. goods to 125%.
Trump indicated last week that tensions could be easing, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-says-tariff-on-china-will-drop-substantially-after-bessent-warns-against-trade-war" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a> the tariffs against China come down &#8220;substantially&#8221; — but not to &#8220;zero.&#8221; He also said that he has spoken <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-says-chinas-xi-called-him-amid-ongoing-confusion-over-trade-talks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">&#8220;many times&#8221;</a> with Chinese President Xi Jinping, although he did not clarify if those discussions happened after escalating tariffs.
Bessent said he was unaware of any conversations, although he stressed that he knows there is a &#8220;very good relationship&#8221; and &#8220;a lot of respect&#8221; between the two world leaders, and emphasized that he believes &#8220;the Chinese will see this high tariff level is unsustainable for their business.&#8221;
As companies that rely on Chinese imports feel the pinch, Bessent contended that Beijing&#8217;s &#8220;business model is predicated on cheap, subsidized goods to the U.S., and if there is a sudden stop in that, they will have a sudden stop in the economy, so they will negotiate.&#8221;
Raddatz pressed Bessent to provide a timeline for when a comprehensive deal could be reached, noting how Bloomberg <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-22/bessent-sees-de-escalation-with-china-situation-unsustainable" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that the Treasury secretary told an investor summit that it could take two to three years.
Bessent said the first priority will be &#8220;de-escalation,&#8221; followed by reaching an &#8220;agreement in principle&#8221; with China and other important trade partners who have seen the &#8220;Liberation Tariffs&#8221; slapped against them reduced to a 10% base rate during a 90-day pause.
&#8220;A trade deal can take months, but an agreement in principle and the good behavior and staying within the parameter of the deal by our trading partners can keep the tariffs there from ratcheting back to the maximum level, sure,&#8221; Bessent said.

Treasury Secretary Reveals ‘Interaction’ With Chinese Counterpart Amid Trade War

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