Trump World infighting boils over

View Online Evening Report Tuesday, April 8 | By Jonathan Easley LIBERATED? ©  Getty Images Trump World infighting on tariffs boils over TENSIONS OVER TRADE POLICY within the Trump administration boiled over Tuesday, even as President Trump turned his attention to striking new trade deals that could potentially lead to the removal of some tariffs.   The president's billionaire cost-cutting adviser Elon Musk, who opposes tariffs, is taking aim at the president's top trade adviser, Peter Navarro, to express his disgust with the burgeoning trade war.   That disagreement turned deeply personal Tuesday, with Musk calling Navarro a "moron" for his claims about Tesla's manufacturing practices.   Navarro had claimed in a CNBC interview that Musk's Tesla company is not a "car manufacturer" at all, but rather a "car assembler" that cobbles its vehicles together from parts imported from around the world.   Musk fired back, saying Tesla "has the most American-made cars."   "Navarro is dumber than a sack of bricks," Musk said.   White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt downplayed the exchange.   "These are obviously two individuals who have very different views on trade and tariffs," Leavitt said. "Boys will be boys, and we will let their public sparring continue."   This comes as tempers over tariffs run hot on Capitol Hill, with some Republicans fuming over what they view as a risky and unnecessary trade war.   "Whose throat do I get to choke if this proves to be wrong?" Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during his appearance before the Senate Finance Committee.   "I wish you well, but I am skeptical," Tillis added.   At the same hearing, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who co-sponsored bipartisan legislation to limit Trump's trade authority, said he thinks Congress "delegated too much authority to the president."    "That said, I support President Trump's agenda to lower tariffs and non-tariff barriers other countries impose on American goods," Grassley added. "I support President Trump's agenda to get a better deal from China and other countries for our farmers and manufacturers."   Meanwhile, a conservative advocacy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence launched an ad campaign warning about the impact tariffs will have on farmers.   Trump's reciprocal tariffs will go into effect at midnight tonight. MARKETS CHURN AS TRUMP SEEKS DEALS Markets were mixed Tuesday, though the heavy selling from last week appears to have abated, for now.   The Trump administration is turning its attention to deal-making, leading to hope on Wall Street that at least some of the tariffs will be short-lived.   Administration officials said Tuesday that nearly 70 countries have reached out seeking to begin negotiations.   "Countries are falling over themselves to reform their unfair trade practices and free open their markets to our country," Leavitt said.   "Bring us your best offers, and [Trump] will listen," she added.   Greer, the U.S. trade representative, echoed that sentiment in public testimony before Congress.   "Our large and persistent trade deficit has been 30 years in the making and it will not be resolved overnight," he said. "But all of this is in the right direction, particularly as we start to negotiate with these countries."   Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects some big deals will happen "very quickly," with administration officials saying allies such as Vietnam, South Korea and Japan have been first in line to open talks.   "I think that right now we're managing a massive number of requests for negotiations," Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "It's actually logistically quite challenging just to go through them."   Trump already shot down a "zero-for-zero tariffs" deal offered by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — even as some Senate Republicans urged him to accept it.   "Not enough," Trump said. CHINA TRADE WAR LOOMS Trump is threatening even bigger tariffs on China than were previously planned, escalating the trade war with the world's second largest economy.   Trump says he'll slap an additional 50 percent tariff on China if it fails to retract its levies on U.S. products by midnight tonight, which would push the overall tariff on Chinese products up to 104 percent.   "The president, when America is punched, he punches back harder," Leavitt said.   "But the president believes that Xi and China want to make a deal...if China reaches out to make a deal, he will be incredibly gracious," she added.   China fired back at Trump's latest threats, promising new tariffs on U.S. products and vowing to "fight to the end." 💡Perspectives: • The Hill: Abundance vs. equity in MAGA's high-stakes tariff game. • The American Spectator: Why 'Liberation Day' frightened Democrats. • The Nation: Trump's tantrum tariffs won't renew U.S. manufacturing. • Tablet: Trump's tariffs are all about China. • The Wall Street Journal: A win-win exit strategy for Trump on tariffs. Read more:  • Trump to sign executive order bolstering coal mining. • Trump risks losing ground with voters on the economy. • Republicans rattled by tariff troubles begin to push back on Trump. • Farm-state Republicans rocked by tariffs fear Trump lacks exit strategy. CATCH UP QUICK The Army reenlisted two dozen soldiers discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine. The troops will be rehired and given back pay.   A California man pleaded guilty to attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh outside his home in 2022.    A company that aims to "de-extinct" animals says its scientists genetically engineered wolves to resemble the long-extinct dire wolf. NEWS THIS AFTERNOON ©  AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein House conservatives meet with Trump amid budget showdown Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and a group of House conservatives met with President Trump at the White House on Tuesday amid internal divisions over the Senate GOP's budget blueprint to fast-track the White House's legislative agenda.   Several conservatives, including House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris (R-Md.), declined Trump's offer to meet. Harris said he opposes the budget resolution passed by Senate Republicans and that there's nothing Trump can do to change his mind.   "There's nothing that I can hear at the White House that I don't understand about the situation," he said.   Johnson said Trump made "great progress" in winning over skeptical conservatives.   At least one House conservative who met with Trump on Tuesday — Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) — left the meeting saying he'd support the blueprint.   But nearly a dozen House Republicans have said they'll vote against the Senate budget resolution because it doesn't do enough to cut spending. Johnson can only afford to lose three GOP members if all Democrats vote against it.   Some House conservatives have stated unequivocally that they won't buckle under the pressure campaign from Trump, although the president's last-minute phone calls have swayed GOP members in the past.   "I think that because what the Senate sent over is so financially immoral, that it doesn't matter how much pressure," said Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.). "There's many of us that can't swallow it."   Democrats believe the rebelling conservatives will fold in the end.   "It's pretty clear that House Republicans generally say one thing when they're in an elevator with us or with you," said Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.). "And then they do something else when they are given an opportunity to vote on the floor."   A vote could happen as soon as Wednesday. 💡Perspectives: • Bloomberg: The world has a plausible alternative to US Treasuries. • The American Prospect: The abundance option. • Slow Boring: Cory Booker showed how it's done. • The Liberal Patriot: The false promise of AOC. Read more:  • Senate confirms Trump's controversial pick for Pentagon No. 3 job. • Republicans pass compromise quashing proxy voting. IN OTHER NEWS ©  AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite Supreme Court weighs in on deportations, federal firings The Supreme Court on Tuesday cleared the way for the Trump administration to resume firing some probationary federal workers, finding the government employee unions that sued to stop the firings don't have legal standing.   The Hill's Zach Schonfeld writes:   "The emergency ruling, for now, lifts one of two lower court orders reversing the mass terminations. The other injunction, which has not yet reached the high court, remains in effect and still protects many employees' jobs."   This comes on the heels of two Supreme Court rulings on the Trump administration's efforts to fast-track deportations under the Alien Enemies Act:   The Supreme Court vacated a judge's order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from using the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans.   However, it was not a decisive victory for the Trump administration.   The court said those being targeted for deportations must have adequate notice to allow them to challenge their removal.   That matter pertains to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who was mistakenly deported to a prison in El Salvador despite an immigration judge's ruling protecting him from being deported there over fears of violence.   A judge had implemented a midnight deadline for the Trump administration to bring Garcia back to the U.S. However, Chief Justice John Roberts temporarily postponed that deadline to give the high court more time to consider the Trump administration's efforts to keep him in El Salvador.   Trump will host the leader of El Salvador at the White House next week, as the countries tout their deportations partnership.   MEANWHILE…   The Department of Homeland Security will terminate parole protections for nearly 1 million people who entered the country through the Biden administration's CBP One app.   About 985,000 people used the app to make appointments at a port of entry at the border. Many of those who entered sought asylum protections or temporary work authorization. 💡Perspectives: • The Hill: Why 'peace through strength' won't work in the Middle East. • The Hill: US support for Israel remains strong. • The Wall Street Journal: Trump is trashing America's reputation. • The Hill: Putin and Xi will use Trump's 'Art of the Deal' against him. Read more:  • 5 Harvard students, recent graduates have visas pulled. • EPA says it will reconsider safety of fluoride in drinking water. • Trump vs. the Ivy League: 'These are elite institutions and blue states'. Stay Engaged Someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up to get your own copy: TheHill.com/Evening. Did I miss a story? Drop me a line. See you next time! Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  Sign Up for Other Newsletters 400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 © 1998 - 2025 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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