As President Trump reaches his 100th day in office, the White House is leaning heavily into its economic message, even as fears of a looming recession continue to unsettle investors and the American public.
The milestone was marked by an early Tuesday morning briefing, bright and bracing, led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt. With the economy a central promise of Trump’s campaign—alongside a crackdown on illegal immigration and what he has repeatedly labeled “woke ideology”—Trump sent Bessent to the briefing room to reassure Americans that, despite institutional investor concerns, the administration’s policies are delivering results.
“I wouldn’t think that we would have supply chain shock,” Scott Bessent said. “And, I think retailers, they have managed their inventory in front of this.”
Leavitt confirmed that the President would sign an executive order on auto tariffs later in the day.
But the headline-grabbing moment came when Leavitt, speaking on behalf of the President, took direct aim at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The tech giant announced it would begin incorporating tariffs into the final prices of consumer products—effectively making the cost impact of the tariffs visible at checkout. What some may see as an act of transparency, Leavitt described as the provocative move.
“This is a hostile and political act by Amazon,” she said. “Why didn’t Amazon do this when the Biden administration hiked inflation to the highest level in 40 years?”
Leavitt said, “Amazon has partnered with a Chinese propaganda arm,” adding that this was “another reason” why Americans should buy American goods.
State of trade negations
According to Bessent, several Asian nations have responded positively to the administration’s trade strategy. India, Japan, and South Korea, he said, have shown themselves to be “the most forthcoming” in seeking new deals.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi “made some very good progress” in recent talks with Washington, he noted. Discussions with South Korea have reached the stage where Bessent said he “can see the contours of a deal,” while talks with Japan have been “substantial.”
Bessent also issued a stark assessment of China’s tariff policies, suggesting Beijing would not be able to sustain its current course.
“Chinese tariffs are unsustainable for China,” he said. “I’ve seen some very large numbers over the past few days that show, if these numbers stay on, Chinese could lose 10 million jobs very quickly, and even if there is a drop in the tariffs that they lose 5 million jobs.”
He emphasized America’s position as the world’s “deficit country,” stating that China “sells almost five times more goods to us than we sell to them.”
When asked whether talks had taken place between Washington and Beijing, Bessent declined to comment—nor would he confirm President Trump’s claim that he had recently spoken to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
“I would say Caroline and I have a lot of jobs around the White House but running a switch board is not one of them,” said Bessent in what was supposed to be a humorous take on who’s been talking to who.
As for the state of negotiations with the European Union, Bessent invoked the late Henry Kissinger, quipping, “When I call Europe, who do I call?”
Later in the day, President Trump is expected to hold a rally to commemorate his first 100 days in office alongside his base.
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