Robert Lighthizer

And I would add one other thing. If you look at the president's program generally, all right, the program is going to be tax cuts. Spending cuts, deregulation, more energy, and tariffs. Now, even all but a hardcore partisan would say the combination of that can't be inflationary, right?

And I would add one other thing. If you look at the president's program generally, all right, the program is going to be tax cuts. Spending cuts, deregulation, more energy, and tariffs. Now, even all but a hardcore partisan would say the combination of that can't be inflationary, right?

And I would add one other thing. If you look at the president's program generally, all right, the program is going to be tax cuts. Spending cuts, deregulation, more energy, and tariffs. Now, even all but a hardcore partisan would say the combination of that can't be inflationary, right?

The combination of cutting spending, getting rid of regulation, increasing energy, those things can't be inflationary. Well, they're anti-inflationary. They're all anti-inflationary.

The combination of cutting spending, getting rid of regulation, increasing energy, those things can't be inflationary. Well, they're anti-inflationary. They're all anti-inflationary.

The combination of cutting spending, getting rid of regulation, increasing energy, those things can't be inflationary. Well, they're anti-inflationary. They're all anti-inflationary.

That's precisely right. We've spent too much.

That's precisely right. We've spent too much.

That's precisely right. We've spent too much.

So there are kind of two things. One, we have a trade problem, and that problem is trade deficits, and it's having all the bad effects that I said on our people and on the wealth of our country generally. That is a problem that has to be resolved today. Connected but independent of that is the question of the geopolitical competition with China.

So there are kind of two things. One, we have a trade problem, and that problem is trade deficits, and it's having all the bad effects that I said on our people and on the wealth of our country generally. That is a problem that has to be resolved today. Connected but independent of that is the question of the geopolitical competition with China.

So there are kind of two things. One, we have a trade problem, and that problem is trade deficits, and it's having all the bad effects that I said on our people and on the wealth of our country generally. That is a problem that has to be resolved today. Connected but independent of that is the question of the geopolitical competition with China.

So I always start with you're either on one side or the other. And I put people in like three categories, Tucker. There are people that study the issue – and I'm going to go through the kind of litany in a minute – But to set it up, there are people that study this issue and say China is an existential threat to America. They are an adversary and we have to make change. And I'm in that group.

So I always start with you're either on one side or the other. And I put people in like three categories, Tucker. There are people that study the issue – and I'm going to go through the kind of litany in a minute – But to set it up, there are people that study this issue and say China is an existential threat to America. They are an adversary and we have to make change. And I'm in that group.

So I always start with you're either on one side or the other. And I put people in like three categories, Tucker. There are people that study the issue – and I'm going to go through the kind of litany in a minute – But to set it up, there are people that study this issue and say China is an existential threat to America. They are an adversary and we have to make change. And I'm in that group.

There's another group that studies it and says – China is an existential threat. They're an adversary. But we don't need to do anything because it'll all kind of be resolved through this or that. That's a group that was very popular in the 90s. It doesn't really exist anymore. I call it the unicorn group, right? They're people who have kind of been proven wrong. It's just you have to do something.

There's another group that studies it and says – China is an existential threat. They're an adversary. But we don't need to do anything because it'll all kind of be resolved through this or that. That's a group that was very popular in the 90s. It doesn't really exist anymore. I call it the unicorn group, right? They're people who have kind of been proven wrong. It's just you have to do something.

There's another group that studies it and says – China is an existential threat. They're an adversary. But we don't need to do anything because it'll all kind of be resolved through this or that. That's a group that was very popular in the 90s. It doesn't really exist anymore. I call it the unicorn group, right? They're people who have kind of been proven wrong. It's just you have to do something.

The third group are people that study it. and conclude that there isn't a problem, China's not an adversary, and there's no . That group is all invested in China, right? So you can kind of divide the world when you think, when you're talking to someone, which of these three groups are you in?

The third group are people that study it. and conclude that there isn't a problem, China's not an adversary, and there's no . That group is all invested in China, right? So you can kind of divide the world when you think, when you're talking to someone, which of these three groups are you in?