(L) U.S. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) navigates the Senate Subway during confirmation votes for U.S. President Donald Trump’s cabinet nominees. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images) / (R) President Donald Trump addresses the nation from the Oval Office, announcing reciprocal tariffs on February 13, 2025. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Staff Brooke Mallory 1:22 PM – Thursday, February 13, 2025
In a move to address unfair tariffs imposed by both allies and adversaries, President Donald Trump issued a presidential memorandum on Thursday mandating reciprocal tariffs.
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The reciprocal tariffs will be customized for each trading partner and will take into account five crucial elements: unfair taxation, tariffs levied by the other country on U.S. goods, the impact of those policies on U.S. consumers and businesses, exchange rate fluctuations, and any other practices deemed unfair by the trade representative’s office.
Although the implementation of these tariffs is not immediate, the administration is set to begin the assessment phase following the memorandum’s signing.
Officials from the White House indicated that Trump aims to roll out these tariffs as soon as feasible, predicting a timeframe of “weeks” to potentially “a few months.”
Within the memo, the president has instructed nominees Howard Lutnick for Commerce Secretary and Jamieson Greer for U.S. Trade Representative to work alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to swiftly compile a report detailing recommendations for each nation.
Russell Vought, the head of the Office of Management and Budget, is expected to provide a comprehensive report on the financial implications of the tariffs within 180 days. Lutnick projected that the new tariffs could take effect by April 2nd.
“Our studies should be all complete by April 1. So we’ll present the president with the chance to commence on April 2, if he chooses,” he remarked during a session in the Oval Office.
Meanwhile, President Trump acknowledged that while these tariffs are projected to bolster job growth and foster other benefits, there may be a brief period of rising prices. He likened his approach to the economic strategies of Argentine President Javier Milei, who has reportedly eliminated a fiscal deficit for the first time in over a century.
“I believe we will see an increase in jobs, and while prices could rise temporarily, they will eventually decrease,” Trump noted. “In the long run, this is set to greatly benefit our country.”
Trump is reportedly concentrating on what officials term “nonmonetary barriers,” described as means through which various nations exploit the U.S. They specifically highlighted elevated tariffs from India and Japan’s significant structural barriers.
“It doesn’t matter if they’re strategic opponents like communist China, or allies such as [the] European Union, Japan, or Korea. Each of these countries is capitalizing on us in various ways, and the president views this as a failure of reciprocal trade,” stated a Trump official.
However, earlier in the week, 82-year-old Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) expressed a more skeptical view of the tariff strategies being pursued by the Trump administration.
To articulate his concerns regarding tariffs to the American populace, McConnell penned an opinion piece for Louisville’s The Courier Journal on Wednesday.
“It’s time for America’s closest neighbors to take the crisis at our border seriously,” wrote McConnell. “Yet, no matter how well-intentioned, tariffs represent poor policy. As Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) expressed: ‘Tariffs are merely taxes… Taxing trade will diminish trade and lead to inflated prices.’”
“Thus, Republicans must recognize the full, unvarnished consequences of tariffs as we seek to restore sound financial policies in our government.”
“Broad tariffs inflate the costs of doing business in the U.S., raising expenses for consumers across the board,” McConnell added. “These concerns are not merely abstract. Comprehensive tariffs could have enduring impacts right in our own communities.”
On Thursday, McConnell opposed President Trump’s nominee for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (RFK Jr.), in addition to voting against the confirmed National Intelligence Director, Tulsi Gabbard, on Wednesday. The seasoned politician also hinted that he would vote against FBI Director nominee Kash Patel when the final vote is cast.
Trump criticized McConnell on Thursday, highlighting his obstinacy and his tendency to work against the interests of his party.
“I pity Mitch. He lacks the mental capacity required for leadership. He always has. Under his leadership, the Republican Party was on the brink of collapse. McConnell never truly had it. He secured votes by financing senators. I was the one who compelled McConnell to step down from the leadership role. His vote against Bobby [Kennedy] is really a vote against me—he’s a very resentful individual. However, we now have a robust party, and he has lost his influence, which has impacted his voting behavior.”
🚨 BREAKING: TRUMP lays the HAMMER on MITCH MCCONNELL
TRUMP: I feel sorry for Mitch. He’s not equipped to be leader, mentally. He never was. Under him, the Republican Party was going to H*ll. McConnell never really had it. He had votes because he gave money to senators. I was… pic.twitter.com/uOS3Ul4mAN
“A tremendous liability for the Republican Party and for the nation because he approved so much for Biden it was almost as if the Democrats had something on him.”pic.twitter.com/XVnIWajPSY
