President Trump said Monday that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce was critical of his tariffs and immigration policies because it doesn’t represent the interests of the country.
“We lose a fortune with virtually every country. They take advantage of us in every way possible and the U.S. Chamber is right there with them,” Trump told CNBC. “I assume — I am a member with the U.S. Chamber. Maybe I’ll have to rethink that. Because, when you look at it, the chamber is probably more for the companies and the people that are members than the country.”
The Chamber of Commerce favors free trade policies and has been a regular critic of Trump’s tariffs. Late last month, it threatened to take Trump to court over whether he could impose new tariffs against Mexico to force it to curb immigration.
The White House and Mexico reached a deal to avoid the tariffs late Friday. The chamber welcomed the deal, but on Monday Myron Brilliant, the trade association’s executive vice president and head of international affairs, told CNBC that the “weaponization of tariffs” was a bad idea.
“The increase of threats on our economy, on our farmers, our manufacturers, our consumers, is going to hurt our country. It also creates uncertainty with our trading partners,” he said.
According to CNBC, Trump called in to the show unexpectedly in response to his comments. “I guess he is not so brilliant,” Trump said.
