WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will not let up his pressure on tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China related to their handling of fentanyl, U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Sunday.
“If fentanyl ends, I think these will come off. But if fentanyl does not end, or he’s uncertain about it, he will stay this way until he is comfortable,” Lutnick said of the addictive and deadly opioid in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press.” “This is black and white. You got to save American lives.”
U.S. tariffs of 25% on imports of steel and aluminum will take effect as scheduled on Wednesday, Lutnick said during the interview. Canada and Mexico are both top exporters of the metals to U.S. markets, with Canada in particular accounting for most aluminum imports.
Lutnick also pushed back on fears that Trump’s global tariffs would cause a recession in the United States.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “There’s going to be no recession in America.”
However, the commerce secretary did acknowledge that the tariffs would lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers on foreign-made goods.
“Some products that are made foreign might be more expensive, but American products will get cheaper, and that’s the point,” Lutnick said.
(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
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