Lutnick downplays tariff court ruling impact on US-EU talks
US Secretary of Commerce
Howard Lutnick
downplayed the impact of legal uncertainty around
US tariffs
on negotiations with the European Union during an interview with Fox News on Sunday, saying talks were ongoing.
Lutnick was asked about a Reuters report quoting an unnamed EU official close to negotiations who said the legal uncertainty of the tariffs in the US gave the EU 'extra leverage.'
'You can't listen to silly people making silly comments,' Lutnick said. 'All of the countries that are negotiating with us understand the power of Donald Trump and his ability to protect the American worker.'
A US trade court blocked most of President Donald Trump's tariffs in a sweeping ruling last week that found the president overstepped his authority by imposing across-the-board duties on imports from American trading partners. A US federal appeals court paused that ruling a day later, allowing the tariffs to go into effect while it considered an appeal by the Trump administration.
READ MORE
Lutnick said the ruling 'maybe cost us a week, but then everybody came right back to the table.'
Trump in late May threatened 50 per cent tariffs on all European goods by June 1st but days later delayed the effective date to July 9th to allow for time to negotiate.
Trump also said on Friday that he would increase tariffs on imported steel and aluminium to 50 per cent from 25 per cent, leading the European Commission on Saturday to say it could consider countermeasures.
Speaking on ABC News, White House economic adviser Kevin Hassett said the US needed to protect its steel industry for national security reasons in light of economic rival China's steel production. 'We have to show strength,' Hassett said. 'We have to have a steel industry that's ready for American defence.'
Meanwhile US Treasury Secretary Bessent said he believes President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will speak soon to iron out trade issues including a dispute over critical minerals.
US President Donald Trump on Friday accused China of violating an agreement to mutually roll back tariffs and trade restrictions for critical minerals.
'What China is doing is they are holding back products that are essential for the industrial supply chains of India, of Europe. And that is not what a reliable partner does,' Bessent said in an interview on Sunday with CBS.
'I am confident that when President Trump and Party Chairman Xi have a call, that this will be ironed out. But the fact that they are withholding some of the products that they agreed to release during our agreement – maybe it's a glitch in the Chinese system, maybe it's intentional. We'll see after the President speaks with the party chairman.' – Reuters
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Irish manufacturing output growing for fifth straight month
Irish manufacturing output recorded another 'robust increase' in May, extending the current period of growth to five months, according to AIB . Some Irish firms recorded subdued spending by US clients, but concerns about the impact of tariffs and global economic uncertainty had eased slightly in May. The bank's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) retracted slightly to 52.6 in May, after April's 34-month high of 53.0. The index remained above the neutral 50 threshold, indicating overall expansion in the sector for the fifth month running, the longest growth sequence in more than two years. READ MORE The latest improvement in overall business conditions was driven by relatively strong rates of output and new business growth, AIB said. 'The rise in May was broad-based, with robust growth in output and new orders, and signs of easing tariff-related concerns,' said David McNamara, AIB chief economist. Mr McNamara said the reading for the Irish manufacturing industry 'remains above the flash May readings for the Eurozone, US and UK at 49.4, 52.3 and 45.1, respectively'. AIB has increased its activity expectations for manufacturing business, having recovered from April's eight-month low. Staff hiring has increased to its fastest rate since January, in reaction to rising workloads and improving projections for customer demand. 'Export sales remained a weak spot in May, with total new work from abroad decreasing for the second month running,' the PMI said, noting anecdotal evidence from goods producers that export demand from US and UK clients was down on the previous month. [ EU warns it could accelerate retaliatory tariffs over US duties Opens in new window ] The destocking streak ongoing since February continued in May, with survey respondents indicating deliberate inventory reduction strategies or subdued demand as causal factors. Manufacturers saw a 'further sharp increase' in input prices, down only slightly from the 26-month high in April with the input price inflation linked to commodities and other raw materials. There was a corresponding level of output price inflation which increased slightly, with manufacturers passing on higher input costs they incurred in May, but AIB's chief economist noted the rate of inflation remains 'well below that observed throughout the past 12 months'. 'Despite ongoing geopolitical and tariff uncertainty, Irish manufacturers maintained a generally upbeat assessment of the outlook for activity levels over the coming year. 'Around 39 per cent of the respondents predict a rise in output levels during the year ahead, while 9 per cent expect a decline,' Mr McNamara said, reflecting data collected from the May 12th to 22nd.
Irish Times
4 hours ago
- Irish Times
Evan Fitzgerald: Carlow gunman was due in court to face 13 firearms and explosives charges
A man who opened fire in a busy Carlow shopping centre before fatally wounding himself was due to appear in court on Wednesday to face 13 firearms and explosives charges after being arrested last year. Gardaí believe Evan Fitzgerald (22) of Portrushen, Kiltegan, Carlow, who died at Fairgreen Shopping Centre in Carlow town on Sunday evening, was very fearful of going to prison. Though he was described by sources as posing a danger, due to his obsession with guns, he was also regarded as vulnerable. Assistant Commissioner Paula Hilman said what 'was meant to be a normal day out on a bank holiday weekend' had become a 'terrifying experience for every person that was present' at the shopping centre. READ MORE Mr Fitzgerald walked around the shopping centre discharging shots before fatally wounding himself. However, he fired into the air and did not attempt to shoot at anyone else, gardaí said. As shoppers fled from the centre, at about 6.15pm, gardaí received 999 calls alerting them to the fact shots were being fired. Uniformed gardaí were first to arrive and saw people fleeing the building before Mr Fitzgerald exited. They were followed quickly by armed detectives, who identified themselves to the gunman and drew their weapons. However, a further shot was then discharged from Mr Fitzgerald's shotgun, fatally wounding him. Garda Headquarters confirmed no shots were discharged by any of the gardaí present. Mr Fitzgerald was arrested in Co Kildare last year as part of an investigation by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau into the purchase of guns on the dark net. He made full admissions and had been on bail awaiting trial. The operation last year resulting in the seizure of the two guns – a G3 Heckler & Koch machine gun and a Remington M1911 handgun – also involved the armed Emergency Response Unit. Gardaí believed Mr Fitzgerald and, allegedly, a number of associates had sourced the guns for recreational purposes, including shooting targets in the woods, rather than being involved in organised crime.
Irish Times
5 hours ago
- Irish Times
Death threats against Northern Ireland journalists increasing, says Amnesty
Journalists in Northern Ireland are facing a sustained campaign of violent threats from paramilitaries, making it the most dangerous place in the UK to be a reporter, according to Amnesty International . Death threats – including under-car booby trap bombs – issued to crime journalists have increased in recent years, with repeated home visits by police warning they are at risk. Others have been told they will be shot or stabbed and given 48-hour ultimatums to leave the country. Interviews carried out by Amnesty with 22 journalists uncovered more than 70 incidents of intimidation or attacks in the North since the start of 2019. READ MORE Loyalist and dissident republican paramilitaries as well as organised crime groups are behind most of the incidents. Journalists most at risk have their homes protected by bulletproof windows and doors with alarms linked to police stations. One reporter was visited by police nine times in just under a year to inform her that her life was at risk. A pipe bomb was placed close to her home after a threat. 'Several journalists report that they are receiving more threats in recent years than ever before. It goes beyond threats: they are physically attacked,' according to the Amnesty report entitled Occupational Hazard? Threats and Violence against Journalists in Northern Ireland. The report, published on Tuesday, says frustration with the police response means some journalists have stopped reporting the crimes to the authorities, citing 'time-consuming processes and lack of action or positive outcome'. [ Lyra McKee: A bright star, fallen, sacrificed to bigotry and hatred Opens in new window ] To date, two journalists have been murdered in Northern Ireland. Investigative reporter Martin O'Hagan of the Sunday World was killed close to his Lurgan home by loyalist paramilitaries in 2001 and Lyra McKee died after being struck by a bullet fired at police during rioting in Derry in 2019. Dissident republican group, the New IRA, admitted responsibility. A photographer was shot in the thigh covering a riot in Belfast in 2011. Concerns are raised in the report about a lack of prosecutions. Amnesty is calling on the State to create a 'safe environment where journalists can work freely and report without fear of reprisals'. 'It is currently failing to do so,' said Amnesty International UK's Northern Ireland director, Patrick Corrigan. 'Journalists are being threatened, attacked and even killed for shining a light on paramilitary groups and others who seek to exert control through violence. This creates a climate of fear that many assumed was consigned to history when the Good Friday Agreement was signed,' he said. Yet, he said, there has not been a single prosecution for threats against journalists from paramilitary groups. [ Lyra McKee: Lost Girl of the Troubles Opens in new window ] 'This sense of impunity only emboldens those behind the threats. When journalists are under attack, press freedom is under attack.' Among the report's recommendations is the establishment of a new media safety group, with representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), Public Prosecution Service, media organisations and the National Union of Journalists to deliver a new journalist safety strategy. The PSNI should also review its procedural response to threats and attacks against journalists and 'conduct investigations capable of leading to successful prosecutions', the report advises. A Police Ombudsman's report examining the original police investigation into O'Hagan's murder is expected to be published this year. Amnesty recommends the UK government should order a public inquiry into the killing if 'serious failings or wrongdoing by the police' is found by the watchdog.
