Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Opinion Nia-Malika Henderson 4 min Read 13 Apr 2025, 03:30 IST US Treasury Secretary Scott Besent emerged as a voice of reason. (Bloomberg) Summary has rarely seen the US such a spectacle of confusion over policy. Most of Trump’s team has lost credibility, although Treasury Secretary Scott Besent apparently appeared as a voice of reason. US President Donald Trump’s economic team has stunned as his tariff announcements melted the markets, arguing that there was a major plan to order global trade for the benefit of Americans. But when they ignored the anxiety of corporate leaders, members of both parties and voters, they showed that they were walking out and could not lead the president economically and politically on a healthy path. His announcement on April 9 of a ‘pause’ of 90 days on most of the charges further eroded the team’s credibility. When Trump’s economic advisers were initially announced, even his critics praised his choices as the mainstream figures that probably would not get markets. Also read: Trump’s big tariff Pause: What made him cut? There is now a real question whether someone is independent and safe enough to get him up. “This is a moment of testing for the president’s advisors,” said Larry Summers, former Treasury Secretary. ‘The intellectually honest people know that [Trump’s belief in tariffs] reflect a presidential 40-year fixation, not any form of proven economic theory. “They failed the test. Perhaps no one was personally damaged than merchant secretary Howard Lutnick, the most visible cheerleader of Trump’s rates. On ‘Liberation Day’, he stood next to the president and had the now-in-in-the-in-frequency. in miniature as a kind of Trump tried to record. Bloomberg Opinion Collega Robert Burgess wrote, is Lutnick, who was previously at the head of Cantor Fitzgerald and has known the president for decades, “has been selected for his skills as a salesman and willingness to parrot Trump’s wrong characterization around trade, rates and the economy, no matter how questionable.” is: ‘I mean, [the EU] Won’t take chicken from America! They won’t take lobster from America, ‘he said.’ They hate our beef because our beef is beautiful and theirs are weak. It’s incredible! “It seems that the White House was not completely on board, with Lutnick trying to pull the president out. Lutnick replied: ‘There is no postponement. Donald Trump is the best negotiator there is. He gave, it was crystal clear instructions, no negotiations until two days ago. get.
How Trump’s advisers are tied up in knots about his tariff obsession
