The whiplash from President Trump’s fresh tariff agenda has lasted into the weekend as Trump’s approval rating takes a dip as Republicans on Capitol Hill work to carry out his domestic agenda.
Financial markets took a dramatic tumble after the president implemented a flat 10 percent tariff on all goods coming into the country, alongside steeper reciprocal tariffs against dozens of nations.
On Wednesday, Trump temporarily paused most tariffs while increasing tariffs against Chinese goods by 125 percent on top of the 20 percent duty levied against the world’s second largest economy earlier this year.
China fired back Friday morning, announcing it would institute a 125 percent tariff on all U.S. goods coming into Beijing.
Bridgewater Founder Ray Dalio, who will join NBC’s “Meet The Press,” is also slated to weigh in on Trump’s tariffs.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, who will sit down on CBS News’ “Face the Nation,” has said he has talked to multiple countries since Trump decided to roll back most of the tariffs.
Meanwhile, House Republicans on Capitol Hill were busy this week trying to pass the Senate’s budget framework, which they succeeded on Thursday.
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who backed the Senate plan and will appear on NewsNation’s “The Hill Sunday,” will likely touch on Congress’s efforts to pass the president’s legislative agenda.
Read the full Sunday show list here and follow along below for today’s updates.
Khanna believes manufacturing ‘isn’t going to come here’
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) believes manufacturing “isn’t going to come” to the U.S. despite the Trump administration placing tariffs on countries to do so.
Khanna, who represents Silicon Valley, joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where he said he doesn’t think manufacturing for technology will come to the United States and instead go where there are lower tariffs.
Bridgewater founder: ‘We are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession’
Ray Dalio, the billionaire investor and founder of hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, said on Sunday the United States is “very close to a recession.”
In an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Dalio expressed concern about a confluence of different economic and political factors that he said could send the U.S. economy into “something worse than a recession.”
“I think that right now we are at a decision-making point and very close to a recession. And I’m worried about something worse than a recession if this isn’t handled well,” Dalio said when asked whether he thinks the U.S. will likely dip into a recession “because of President Trump’s tariffs.”
Booker on Trump tariffs
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) issued an “unequivocal condemnation” of President Trump’s tariff strategy, calling his approach unwise and “chaotic.”
In a Sunday interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Booker was asked about high-profile Democrats who have stopped short of condemning Trump’s tariffs explicitly, instead saying that they can be a useful tool in the toolbox or that they agree with Trump’s “motivation behind the tariffs,” even if not his execution.
“Are those Democrats taking the right approach, senator?” moderator Kristen Welker asked Booker after spotlighting some Democrats’ comments.
“Listen, I just want to, for myself, tell you a full-throated, unequivocal condemnation of the Trump tariffs,” Booker said.
US trade representative defends administration’s tariff plan amid changes
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended the Trump administration’s tariff plan amid the changes to the original agenda.
Greer joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where host Margaret Brennan asked if the administration has spoken with Chinese leader Xi Jinping after slapping a 125 percent tariff on the country and heightening tensions.
“Right now, we don’t have any plans on that. This issue is truly at the leaders’ level,” Greer replied.
Greer said he spoke to his Chinese counterpart before April 2, which President Trump had dubbed “Liberation Day.” He recently was pressed by a bipartisan group of senators in a testimony.
He said he expects that “at some point” the administration expects to have a conversation with China.
Shapiro says ‘arsonist set fire’ to Pennsylvania governor’s house
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said an “arsonist set fire” to the governor’s residence early Sunday morning, prompting his family to evacuate.
The governor and his family were present in a separate part of the house, and they were “evacuated safely and were not injured,” according to a statement from the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP).
Navarro says Trump has ’90 deals in 90 days possibly pending here’
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro projected confidence in President Trump’s approach to tariffs, saying in a Sunday interview there’s potential for the president to strike numerous trade deals during the 90-day pause on higher tariffs.
“So this is unfolding exactly like we thought it would in a dominant scenario,” Navarro said in an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” when asked how consumers and businesses can make decisions “when it seems as though the President’s trade policies are shifting at a moment’s notice.”
Navarro said Trump announced the tariffs earlier this month, “knowing full well that a lot of countries would come right to us and want to bargain.”
“We’ve got 90 deals in 90 days possibly pending here,” Navarro continued. “And it was par for the course, actually it was a birdie for President Trump to do exactly what he did, which was pause for 90 days. And we’re going to get this done for the American people.”
Former FDA vaccine chief on RFK Jr. and autism cause: Giving people false hope is ‘wrong’
Former Food and Drug Administration vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks weighed in on Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s remarks about finding a cause of autism, saying giving people false hope is “wrong.”
Marks joined CBS News’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday, where host Magaret Brennan asked him about Kennedy’s claim that the world will find the cause of the “autism epidemic” by September.
“I’m not aware of what is being discussed there, and I would just say the following: So, I’m somebody who in my career as a physician taking care of patients and there are people probably who are hearing me now who know that I cared for leukemia patients for a significant number of years,” Marks began.
“Giving people false hope is something you should never do,” he continued, adding, “You can be incredibly supportive of people, but giving them false hope is wrong.”
Lutnick: Smartphone tariff exemptions are temporary
The Trump administration’s move to exempt smartphones, computers and other electronics from sweeping reciprocal tariffs is only a temporary measure, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday, indicating those devices would be covered by upcoming sector-based tariffs.
“This is not like a permanent sort of exemption. [Trump’s] just clarifying that these are not available to be negotiated away by countries. These are things that are national security, that we need to be made in America,” Lutnick told ABC’s “This Week.”
Booker on potential 2028 run for president: ‘I’m focused on today’
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) sidestepped a question on Sunday about a possible 2028 presidential run, saying instead he’s focused on “today” and his 2026 reelection campaign for his Senate seat.
“Senator, yes or no, are you considering a run in 2028?” NBC News’s Kristen Welker asked Booker on “Meet the Press” on Sunday.
“I’m focused on today and my re-election in ’26,” Booker responded. “I’ve already announced to the people of New Jersey. I’m hoping they’ll allow me to be their senator for another six years.”
Warren: Tariffs can be tool but currently are ‘chaos and corruption’
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) noted that she believes tariffs can be a tool for U.S. trade but thinks President Trump’s implementation of sweeping reciprocal tariffs has caused “chaos and corruption.”
Warren joined CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, where host Jake Tapper asked her about her previous support for tariffs but recent criticism of the administration’s push for them.
“Let’s keep in mind tariffs can be an important tool in the toolbox when used in targeted ways, but right now, what we’ve got is chaos and corruption,” she said. “Donald Trump has imposed a tariff on everyone, everywhere, on all products. That’s the 10% tariff.”
Navarro says ‘Elon and I are great’ after Musk calls him ‘moron’
White House trade adviser Peter Navarro said on Sunday his relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk is “great” after the Tesla CEO called him a “moron” amid a public disagreement over President Trump’s tariff strategy.
In an interview on NBC News’s “Meet the Press,” Navarro insisted there is no issue with Musk, who has pushed for a “zero tariff situation” with Europe and has publicly dissed Navarro’s pro-tariff position.
Most believe Trump tariffs benefit wealthy, corporations: Poll
Most Americans in a new poll say the wealthy and large corporations will benefit the most from President Trump’s tariffs on various imports and trade policies.
In the latest CBS News/YouGov poll released Sunday, 74 percent said that Trump’s tariffs and trade policies will benefit wealthy people, and 71 percent said they will benefit large corporations. Half of the Americans polled said they would benefit the U.S. auto industry.
Still, 42 percent of respondents said they see the working and middle class benefitting from the tariffs as well, with 45 percent saying they will benefit labor unions. Thirty-nine percent said the tariffs will benefit small businesses.
Trump in ‘excellent health,’ doctor says after annual exam
President Trump is in “excellent health,” his physician wrote in a memo released by the White House on Sunday after Trump underwent an annual physical exam.
Trump underwent a heart exam, a neurological exam and a skin exam during his visit to Walter Reed Medical Center on Friday.
Tapper and Hassett tangle over tariff confusion
CNN’s Jake Tapper and National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett tangled on Sunday over the tariff confusion, with Hassett saying he disagrees with the notion that Trump administration officials were sending contradictory messages.
Hassett joined CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, where he was asked about Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer sending mixed messages about manufacturing jobs in the country and the exemptions on certain electronics.
“Five days ago, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told senators ‘the President has been clear with me and with others that he does not intend to have exclusions and exemptions’ to these tariffs,” Tapper began.
“But now we know about these carve outs for electronics imported to the U.S. that we talked about … smartphones, computers, chips.”
“It’s a contradictory message. I mean, I understand that you’re saying this was the plan, but … it seems like nobody told Lutnick and Greer,” he continued.
“No, no, I disagree with that,” Hassett replied.