White House Refutes Claims of 90-Day Tariff Suspension

April 7, 2025 TruthUSA

The White House asserted that Hassett ‘did not say’ the administration is considering a 90-day reprieve on tariffs and emphasized that Trump ‘has been clear.’

This morning, the White House refuted claims suggesting that the administration is open to announcing a 90-day pause on tariffs imposed on the U.S.

In a message posted on social media platform X, the White House Rapid Response account stated that those claims are “fake news.”

Earlier today, reports from CNBC and other news outlets indicated that Kevin Hassett, the Director of the National Economic Council, mentioned in an interview that President Donald Trump might consider a 90-day suspension of tariffs, excluding China.

This assertion seems to have originated from an interview Hassett conducted with Fox News, wherein he was questioned about a proposal by billionaire investor Bill Ackman advocating for such a tariff suspension.

“I think that the president is going to decide what the president is going to decide,” Hassett commented in response, adding, “I would encourage everyone, particularly Bill, to tone down the rhetoric somewhat.”

The White House referenced this interview in a separate post on X, clarifying that Hassett “did not say” the administration is looking for a 90-day tariff reprieve, reiterating that Trump has “been clear.”

Last week, Trump implemented 10 percent baseline tariffs on nearly all countries globally, with steeper rates for key U.S. trading partners. Following this tariff announcement, all three major U.S. stock indexes experienced daily declines.

As speculation over a potential 90-day pause continued, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 showed signs of recovery on Monday. However, by 11 a.m. ET, the Dow reported a modest loss while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 remained in positive territory.

On Sunday, Hassett shared with ABC News that the recent tariff announcement prompted outreach from over 50 countries seeking negotiations with the administration.

Diving deeper into the topic during his Monday interview, Hassett noted that Trump is open to considering proposals from trading partners that could yield more favorable terms.

“He’s doubling down on what he knows works and will persist in that approach,” Hassett explained in the Fox News interview. “However, he will also heed what our trading partners present, especially if they can offer compelling deals that benefit American manufacturing and agriculture.”

Hassett mentioned that Trump has been in discussions with world leaders throughout the weekend, noting that Taiwan reached out overnight and that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would visit the White House on Monday, with trade and Middle East policy on the agenda.

Hassett claimed that numerous countries are eager to negotiate deals.

“From President Trump’s perspective, … it’s these nations supplying inelastic goods to the U.S. that will bear the impact of the tariffs,” Hassett asserted. “If that were not the case, they would remain silent rather than retaliate.”

“The very fact that they are expressing anger and hostility indicates that Trump is correct that they are affected by the tariffs.”

Over the weekend, Trump took to social media to assert that tariffs are essential due to the current unsustainable state of U.S. trade.

“Countries from all over the world are in communication with us. We are setting tough yet fair parameters. I spoke with the Japanese Prime Minister this morning, and he is sending a top negotiating team! They have treated the U.S. poorly in trade, not allowing our cars, yet we import MILLIONS of theirs. The situation must change, especially regarding CHINA,” he asserted.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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