US treasury secretary denies Trump tariffs are tax on Americans

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: The Guardian

Sun 7 Sep 2025 17.02 EDT
Last modified on Mon 8 Sep 2025 07.10 EDT


US treasury secretary Scott Bessent has refused to acknowledge that the sweeping trade tariffs imposed by Donald Trump around the world are taxes on Americans.

In a new interview on Sunday with NBC host Kristen Welker, Bessent, a former billionaire hedge fund manager, dismissed concerns from major American companies including John Deere, Nike and Black and Decker who have all said that Trump’s tariffs policy will cost them billions of dollars annually.

Addressing Welker, Bessent said: “You’re taking these from earnings calls, and on earnings calls, they have to give the draconian scenario. There aren’t companies coming out and saying, ‘Oh, because of the tariffs, we’re doing this.’” He went on to add: “If things are so bad, why was the GDP 3.3%? Why is the stock market at a new high? Because, you know, with President Trump, we care both about big companies and small companies.”

As concerns continue to grow over American companies trying to pass on the cost of US tariffs on to everyday Americans, Welker asked: “Do you acknowledge that these tariffs are attacks on American consumers?” To which Bessent replied: “No, I don’t.”

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/07/us-treasury-secretary-trump-tariffs

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[marble falls]

1. Of course he did. Truth hurts.

[Brainfodder]

2. Disqualifying BULLSHIT or what?

[popsdenver]

26. Do you know the difference

Between Republican Politicians, along with all those in Trump's CABAL, and a crack whore street walker????????

The Crack Whore Street Walkers have things they absolutely, positively,.... will NOT DO,..... for ANY AMOUNT OF MONEY.......

Seriously !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Especially the entire group of Republican Women that surround Trump and fawn over him constantly......

[Brainfodder]

29. Once they ignored his 34 convictions with Republican witnesses+mugshot, I was done taking any of them seriously.

[popsdenver]

30. The entire group has gotten to the point

where they all don't know......... HOW NOT TO LIE................

[Lovie777]

3. Oh for Pete's sake......................

can they ever tell the truth.

[Ray Bruns]

7. Nope

[RazorbackExpat]

20. The truth to them

is like garlic and silver bullets to a vampire

[BootinUp]

4. Bessent is really making a name for himself. nt

[Hey Joe]

21. Bessent is another White House meat puppet

who brings to mind the phrase-
The banality of evil.
He could give a shit about average working people since he has never known work.
Hedge fund manager indeed.

[Karasu]

28. In towing the line and sucking off his boss? Yeah, he sure has.

[agingdem]

5. Even Trump's voters aren't buying what Bessent is selling..

Trump's people, the assholes who refused to vote for a woman/a black woman, the same people who were gleefully anticipating Trump "owning the libs" are the same racist idiots feeling the pain of Trump's tariffs...generational farms going bust, homebuilders unable to sell their homes on the ground/new cars sitting unsold on the lot...Trump and his emissaries attempts to gaslight the "benefits" of tariffs don't work when his die-hard voters can't afford groceries/school supplies/clothing..

[House of Roberts]

6. Why is the stock market so high?

When all the gains/wealth go to the top, the only place the money goes is into investment. That giant sucking sound Perot referenced was actually all the money being sucked up by the wealthiest from the rest of us.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. "Why is the stock market so high?"

They have been putting almost all of their betting "chips" (literal and figurative) into the "AI" bubble, and on any industries that support that.

[Hugin]

11. Crypto, too.

The biggest economic heat sink in history.

[BumRushDaShow]

14. That too

not only as a fiat for exchange, but like AI, for the industries that create the facilities that "mine" it.

[House of Roberts]

12. Whatever the 'hot' investment is at the time,

is always going to turn into a bubble. That's why they call it a boom, bubble, bust cycle every time the wealthy get too much.

[BumRushDaShow]

15. This one seems worse than the "dotcom" bubble

because apparently some of the survivors of the dotcoms are going full on insane with this now and have managed to steal the money from the peons to be able to do it.

[House of Roberts]

16. There will always be gullible 'economic cannon fodder' types.

Like any investment scam, it's knowing not to stay too long and be the one left holding the 'hot potato'. If you're not privy to when that is, you're better off not playing.

[BumRushDaShow]

17. I noticed

that both Microsoft and Apple have been a bit tepid on it (and are getting pummeled by the "tech business" media).

Meta (Facebook, etc) and Alphabet (Google, etc) have gone all in.

[FakeNoose]

22. Don't forget crypto - they think they're going to cash in on crypto

After they've crashed our economy to smithereens and shut down all of our banks, how much is their crypto going to actually be worth? If Ross Perot were still live today, he'd have his hands in it too. I'm sure of it. He just wouldn't tell anybody.

[Historic NY]

9. The shit for brains is clogging his hearing!

https://www.uschamber.com/tariffs]

[lark]

10. If they are repugs, they are lying fascist wannabes, every one of them.

Authortarian fluffers and truth deniners.

[wolfie001]

13. Lying piece of shit

Also, tRUMP bootlicker. Not much else to say.

[cstanleytech]

18. You can call it any other name you want but it's still a tax.

Of course if you redirect all of the money towards National Free Healthcare system I willing to reconsider it.

[republianmushroom]

19. And he sat in on the cabnet meeting praising their glorious leader.

Shove it dude.

[OLDMDDEM]

23. He's an idiot. He stated a few weeks back that tariffs were a tax on all of us.

[Pas-de-Calais]

24. Bovine Excretement!

[BaronChocula]

25. Eugene Robinson already got him to admit

That tariffs are paid by the importer and not by the exporter so...

[Wiz Imp]

27. "There aren't companies coming out and saying, 'Oh, because of the tariffs, we're doing this.' "

Um, yes there are. Tons of them.

https://thehill.com/opinion/5294769-small-business-owners-fight-tariffs/
Tariffs will mean the end for my small business
https://www.cbsnews.com/texas/news/small-business-owner-worries-trumps-tariffs-may-force-her-store-to-close-its-doors/
Small business owner worries Trump's tariffs may force her store to close its doors
https://www.syracuse.com/business/2025/04/trump-tariffs-crippled-us-small-business-on-canada-border-its-now-closing.html
Trump tariffs ‘crippled’ US small business on Canada border: It’s now closing
https://www.facebook.com/fox12oregon/posts/a-local-business-says-they-will-be-forced-to-close-because-of-president-trumps-t/1090767576424488/
A local business says they will be forced to close because of President Trump’s tariffs on China.
https://www.cato.org/commentary/here-are-202-companies-hurt-trumps-tariffs
Here Are 202 Companies Hurt by Trump’s Tariffs
https://www.americanprogress.org/article/the-trump-administrations-trade-wars-are-crushing-u-s-small-businesses/
The Trump Administration’s Trade Wars Are Crushing U.S. Small Businesses

[mdbl]

31. Lying, gaslighting & being a sycopant to Donald Dump are administration requirements

Bessent has it down. He has proven he has no ethics, scruples or morals. Perfect maga-man.