Trump administration officials fanned out across the media talk shows on Sunday to defend tariffs imposed by the president on just about every country on Earth.

The reciprocal tariffs were long promised by President Trump, who feels the U.S. has been ripped off by trading practices of friends and foes that have run trade deficits with the United States.

But the size and scope of the tariffs caught many by surprise, and led to a dramatic sell-off on Wall Street that saw trillions in wealth wiped out as stock markets fell precipitously on Thursday and Friday.

It has also provoked consternation among some segments of the right that have criticized the president’s actions, illustrating a split among conservatives over the wisdom of provoking a major trade war.

National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett in a Sunday interview on ABC’s “This Week” insisted the massive tariffs won’t have a “big effect on the consumer in the U.S.,” while Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press” described the tariffs as a “one-time price adjustment.”

Both suggested the tariffs will not lead to inflation, even though some companies have already indicated they will raise prices to help pay for the cost of the tariffs.

Hassett said more than 50 countries are “coming to the table” to negotiate, suggesting the tariffs could be lowered. Bessent drew a distinction between tariffs and continuous price increases caused by inflation.

“So, there’s a big difference between insipid, endemic inflation within the system and consistent price level increases and a........

© The Hill