CBS: Fierce Debate Between U.S. Treasury Secretary and Trump Over Tariff Policy

CBS News, citing multiple informed sources, reported that although the White House has consistently tried to assert that Trump administration officials are unified on U.S. tariff policy, internal disagreements had become evident weeks before Trump signed the so-called "reciprocal tariff" executive order on April 2. During private conversations, senior Trump advisers warned that some tariff proposals could have a devastating impact on global financial markets and send the U.S. economy into a downward spiral. CBS stated that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trump's senior trade and manufacturing advisor Peter Navarro had a dispute in late March in the office of White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles. According to multiple sources, Navarro advocated for a comprehensive 25% tariff on $3 trillion worth of imports, while Bessent, a former Wall Street investor, warned that this move would trigger market turmoil and outlined various risk scenarios. The report said that heated rhetoric continued to emerge.