Hassett ‘did not say’ that the administration is seeking a 90-day reprieve on the tariffs and Trump ‘has been clear,’ the White House said.
The White House on Monday morning denied claims that the administration is willing to announce a 90-day pause on U.S. tariffs.
In a post on social media platform X on Monday, the White House Rapid Response account said that such claims are “fake news.”
Earlier on Monday, CNBC and other outlets reported that White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said President Donald Trump would be considering a 90-day pause on U.S. tariffs for every country other than China.
The claim appeared to come from an interview that Hassett gave to Fox News when he was asked about a proposal by billionaire investor Bill Ackman to pause tariffs for that period.
“I think that the president is going to decide what the president is going to decide,” Hassett said in response. “I would urge everyone, especially Bill, to ease off the rhetoric a little bit.”
The White House referred to that interview in a separate X post, saying that Hassett “did not say” that the administration is seeking a 90-day reprieve on the tariffs and that Trump himself “has been clear.”
Last week, Trump announced 10 percent baseline tariffs on nearly every country in the world, while more significant U.S. trading partners were hit with higher rates. Following the tariff announcement, the three major U.S. stock indexes have seen daily declines.
Amid the speculation about a 90-day pause, the Dow Jones Industrial Average, Nasdaq, and S&P 500 on Monday entered positive territory. But by 11 a.m. ET, the Dow had posted a moderate loss, while the Nasdaq and S&P 500 remained positive.
Hassett on Sunday told ABC News that the tariff announcement has led more than 50 countries to reach out to the administration for negotiations.
During his Monday interview, Hassett said that Trump will listen to trading partners for better deals.
“He’s doubling down on something that he knows works, and he’s going to continue to do that,” Hassett said in the Fox News interview. “But he is also going to listen to our trading partners, and if they come to us with really great deals that advantage American manufacturing and American farmers, I’m sure he’ll listen.”
