Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) said on Monday he thinks, at some point, at least one country will call President Trump’s bluff on his tariff threat, which could have consequences on the United States economy.
Trump caused a stir Sunday when he announced tariffs and visa restrictions on Colombia after the country refused to accept planes of individuals being deported back to their home country. Colombia ultimately accepted the repatriation flights, with Trump putting the tariffs on the back burner.
But, in an interview on NewsNation’s “Elizabeth Vargas Reports,” the anchor noted that not every country that Trump has mused about targeting with tariffs will “fit into that easy-to-crush category, notably China and Russia, throw in Denmark, maybe even Mexico.”
“Is there a danger of one of these countries calling Trump’s bluff? Because tariffs could hurt the US economy, too,” Vargas asked.
“There’s no question. I wouldn’t call it a danger, but someone’s going to call his bluff,” Sununu responded. “Someone’s going to really hold out and drive, kind of, that wedge.”
“And what the ultimate result of that will be, you know, we’ll have to, kind of wait and see,” Sununu said.
Sununu noted that each of the countries that Trump has mentioned publicly are different issues.
“Denmark doesn’t have to sell us anything. I mean, they own Greenland, right? They could just not sell us anything. The agreement with Panama is fixed, and Panama is a bit different, because it’s really about China. I mean, that’s really what this is, making sure China doesn’t continue to buy assets and get a stronghold in something that is so vital to the world economy.”
The Hill is owned by Nexstar Media Group, which also owns NewsNation.
