Fetterman’s Latest Admission About Trump Turns Heads
Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman made a significant admission regarding President Donald Trump on Friday during an interview with a Fox News reporter, which likely did not please members of his own party.
“I’m curious if you believe Trump is currently winning the trade war. Do you concur with those who hold that view?” he was asked by a Fox News reporter on Capitol Hill.
“I mean, absolutely,” Fetterman replied promptly, referencing the president’s recent trade agreement with the European Union.
“Moreover, I am a great admirer of [HBO comedian] Bill Maher. I believe he is truly one of the leading voices for my party. He recognized it. It’s like, he thought the tariffs would devastate the economy, and he acknowledged that it did not,” he continued.
Fetterman reaffirmed his support for the new trade agreement with the European Union and expressed optimism that the final deal with China would also be favorable.
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On Friday, President Trump announced a comprehensive set of new tariffs aimed at numerous countries, furthering his strategy to implement stricter trade measures and modify timelines for finalizing agreements, as reported by The Hill.
The declaration, made mere hours before a midnight deadline for the new rates to come into effect, establishes August 7 as the new enforcement date, providing U.S. officials with additional time to execute the tariffs and granting the administration extra leverage to negotiate trade deals.
According to the updated framework, all imports will incur a baseline tariff of 10 percent, with significantly elevated rates imposed on specific nations: Syria (41 percent), Laos (40 percent), Switzerland (39 percent), Iraq (35 percent), South Africa (30 percent), and India (25 percent), the outlet noted.
This represents the latest development in Trump’s persistent endeavor to transform the global trading environment—an initiative initially launched in April and postponed twice since then.
In an interview with NBC News on Thursday evening, Trump remarked that it is now “too late” for countries to evade the tariffs set to be implemented next week, although he indicated that future trade agreements could still be feasible.
“It doesn’t mean that somebody doesn’t come along in four weeks and say we can make some kind of a deal,” he stated.
While the majority of tariff increases were postponed by a week, Trump proceeded with his threat to elevate tariffs on Canada to 35 percent, as noted by The Hill.
He cited the influx of illegal drugs into the U.S. as the main justification, although the action also seemed to be a reaction to Ottawa’s recent initiative to acknowledge Palestinian statehood. The new tariffs do not apply to goods covered under the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
Furthermore, Trump enacted an executive order imposing a 50 percent tariff on imports from Brazil.
The president stated that certain nations, although they have initiated discussions with the United States, have yet to fulfill his conditions to “rectify disparities in our trade relations or have not sufficiently aligned with the United States on economic and national security issues.”
The White House has proudly highlighted agreements reached thus far, including those with the European Union, South Korea, Japan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and the Philippines in recent days; however, negotiations with other significant trading partners — Mexico and China — are still ongoing.
On Thursday, the president declared a 90-day extension for trade discussions with Mexico, the largest trading partner of the United States. A 25 percent tariff on goods not included in the USMCA will remain in place during this timeframe, while a proposed increase to 30 percent has been deferred. Concurrently, separate trade negotiations with China are proceeding under an existing deadline of August 12, as reported by The Hill.
“The intricacies of a deal with Mexico are somewhat distinct from those with other nations due to both the challenges and advantages presented by the border,” Trump posted on Truth Social. “We will engage with Mexico over the next 90 days with the aim of finalizing a trade agreement within this 90-day timeframe, or possibly longer.”