White House Says No Negotiations on Tariffs

“White House officials have circulated internal talking points telling surrogates that President Donald Trump’s new global tariff regime should not be characterized as a starting point for negotiations,” the Washington Post reports.

“As the world tries to make sense of Trump’s sprawling new import taxes, the administration’s internal instructions say advisers should characterize the tariffs as a response to a national emergency, rather than the basis for potential new trade talks… In addition to the talking points, Trump himself has told advisers the tariffs are not about setting up negotiations.”