The Founding Press

April 2, 2025 | Washington, D.C. — In a newly released conversation from the White House, senior communications adviser Karoline Leavitt offered a firm defense of the Trump administration’s newly announced tariff policy, framing it as a pivotal move to protect American workers and restore the nation’s industrial strength.

Leavitt spoke alongside senior officials Taylor Budowich and Stephen Miller, with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer also participating in the discussion. The conversation followed President Trump’s formal unveiling of the tariff policy during the “Liberation Day” event in the Rose Garden earlier in the day.

“Don’t buy into the media’s lies,” Leavitt said, addressing concerns over potential cost increases. “This is about the American worker, and about treating our country fairly after decades of failed trade deals.”

Leavitt painted a vivid picture of the economic decline in middle America, pointing to closed factories, job losses, and rising addiction in once-thriving communities. She argued that the administration’s strategy is focused not just on tariffs, but on a broader economic shift — combining trade policy with deregulation, domestic energy expansion, and cost-of-living relief.

“The president will effectively implement these tariffs while also bringing down the cost of living,” she said, claiming inflation and gas prices are already beginning to ease under the new approach.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer described the policy as “the golden rule for the golden age of America,” signaling a shift toward trade relationships that mirror the terms the U.S. has been subject to in the past.

Throughout the discussion, Leavitt emphasized that this policy marks the beginning of a deeper economic restructuring — both globally and domestically.

“There’s nothing the media and the political class hate more than change,” she said. “This is monumental change.”

The remarks come as part of the administration’s broader effort to reframe trade policy as a tool for national revival — a message likely to resonate with working-class voters across the political spectrum.