President Trump said Thursday that his plan to impose tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum would involve flexibility for Canada, Mexico, Australia and other countries, as he paid tribute to a top aide who resigned over his decision to press ahead with the tariffs.
“We’re going to be very flexible,” Trump said before a meeting with his Cabinet at the White House. He said that flexibility could involve exempting some countries — particularly Canada and Mexico — from the tariffs, as well as raising or lowering the tariff rates for other countries.
The president threatened last week to impose a 25 percent tariff on all steel imports and a 10 percent tariff on all aluminum imports, but has since softened that stance to include potential carve-outs for countries that make trade or security concessions to the U.S.
White House aides have scrambled to finalize Trump’s trade policy as confusion and staff turnover have created a sense of chaos in the West Wing.
Trump ribbed Gary Cohn, his outgoing National Economic Council chair, for being a “globalist.” Cohn announced his departure this week after losing the internal debate over imposing tariffs on steel and aluminum imports.
“This is Gary Cohn’s last meeting with the Cabinet,” Trump said. “He may be a globalist, but I still like him.”
Trump hinted that Cohn could return to the administration after leaving to “make another couple of hundred million.”
“I have a feeling you’ll be back,” Trump said. “He’s not quite as strong on those tariffs as we want.”
The Cabinet meeting came amid controversy for several of Trump’s most high-profile secretaries.
Housing Secretary Ben Carson, for example, recently weathered a dust-up over his taxpayer-funded purchase of a $31,000 dining room set for the Department of Housing and Urban Development headquarters. Carson ultimately canceled the furniture order.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin faces an uncertain future in the Trump administration amid scrutiny of his travel expenses and the efforts his aides allegedly took to conceal them. Shulkin has also struggled to respond to a scathing inspector general report about massive failures in the Washington, D.C. veterans hospital, many of which occurred during his time as undersecretary for health in the Obama administration.
And Attorney General Jeff Sessions has become a target for Trump’s ire as Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into alleged Russian collusion has grown in scope and intensity. Sessions has also frustrated the president with his reluctance to investigate Hillary Clinton and alleged Obama-era surveillance abuses, both frequent topics of Trump’s Twitter rants.
Trump has expressed frustration with Sessions both publicly and privately.
