Trump rejects concerns about prices and economic uncertainty as he defends his agenda
President Donald Trump played down the fears of his critics — from the potential harms of a recession to worries about rising prices due to his tariffs to the possibility that he would seek a constitutionally forbidden third term — in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
President Donald Trump played down the fears of his critics — from the potential harms of a recession to worries about rising prices due to his tariffs to the possibility that he would seek a constitutionally forbidden third term — in a wide-ranging interview with NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker at his Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach, Florida.
The hour-plus back-and-forth, which aired Sunday, covered the waterfront of his first 100 days in office and what he expects to accomplish in the coming years on the economy, foreign policy, immigration and social policy. He also reflected on his Make America Great America movement, which helped return him to the White House after his 2020 defeat, and expressed confidence that it would remain intact beyond his term.
With his approval numbers sliding modestly amid a flurry of executive actions — which have tested the constitutional limits of presidential power over the size and scope of the government, the due process rights of noncitizens and the punishment of political opponents — Trump waved away concerns about rising prices on some goods in the wake of his expansive program of tariffs.
Asked about small businesses concerned about pain from the tariffs on Chinese goods, Trump said “many businesses are being helped” and that there was no need for the relief some small businesses are seeking. “They’re not going to need it. They’re going to make so much money,” he said.
He suggested that Americans ought to be able to make do with fewer common goods, like dolls or pencils. Asked about rising prices on items like tires or strollers, Trump pivoted to gasoline, saying that was “thousands of times more important.”
Rating: 5