CBS: U.S. Treasury Secretary and Trump Once Had Heated Debate on Tariff Policy

BlockBeats News, April 16th, CBS News cited multiple sources on April 16th as saying that although the White House has been trying to claim that Trump administration officials have been united on U.S. tariff policy, internal disagreements over the policy had emerged weeks before Trump signed the so-called "reciprocal tariff" executive order on April 2nd: a senior Trump adviser reportedly warned in private conversations that some tariff proposals could have a devastating impact on the global financial markets and send the U.S. economy into a downward spiral.

CBS reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bennett and Trump's trade and manufacturing policy adviser Peter Navarro had a confrontation in late March in White House Chief of Staff Susan Wells's office. According to multiple sources, Navarro advocated for a uniform 25% tariff on $3 trillion worth of imported goods; while Bennett, a former Wall Street investor, warned that this move would trigger market turmoil and outlined various risk scenarios. The report said that heated rhetoric was constantly exchanged.