Trump Answers the Chamber of Commerce VP Myron “Not So Brilliant”

RUSH: CNBC Squawk Box, Joe Kernen said to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce executive vice president… His name is Myron Brilliant. Did you know that? The name of the executive VP of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is Myron Brilliant, and Joe Kernen said, “In the end, if the deal with Mexico became better than the deal we had, then didn’t the president’s tariff threat work, Mr. Brilliant?”

BRILLIANT: The weaponization of tariffs, the increase of threats on our economy, on our farmers, our manufacturers, our consumers, is gonna hurt our country. It also creates uncertainty, Joe, with our trading partners, both in Europe and Japan where we want to get deals and frankly it complicates – (crosstalk)

KERNEN: We need —

BRILLIANT: — to try to get something better with China. (crosstalk) Tariffs are not the way we want to go. We do need to force the hand of China and we need to address unfair practices.

KERNEN: How?

BRILLIANT: What’s the ultimate goal here? We want to get the USMCA passed, the new NAFTA, right? We want to get that through the Congress. Threatening Mexico is not a way to get this through the U.S. Congress.

RUSH: … this guy, Myron Brilliant, doesn’t even see that all of this is for the benefit of the United States. He literally may not see it. And if he does see that it ultimately is for the benefit of the United States, note that he opposed to it. The United States cannot win in these deals because that he will destabilize the world order. The United States has to take it on the chin, we have to let these little countries know that we’re not gonna run roughshod over them or some such thing.

He has no concept that we’re the good guys and that the United States doing well means that everybody dealing with us does well. He has no concept of this. And this guy is typical of the kind of people we have at the State Department and other bureaucracies that negotiate and deal with internationals trade and other aspects of foreign relations.

The weaponization of tariffs? So the United States staking out a negotiating position for its own benefit is considered weaponization? The increase of threats on our economy? What threat on our economy? “Well, Mr. Limbaugh, the threat that if the Mexicans didn’t agree.” It was the Mexicans that were gonna be hurt if they didn’t agree.

Kernan: … “You got to see a part of the interview, Mr. President, of Mr. Brilliant, who was on from the Chamber of Commerce. What did you make of it? Or what were the points that you had a problem with that he was trying to make there?”

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I guess he’s not so brilliant.

KERNAN: (laughing)

THE PRESIDENT: Look, without tariffs, we would be captive to every country, and we have been for many years. That’s why we have an $800 billion trading deficit for years. We lose a fortune with virtually every country. They take advantage of us in every way possible, and the U.S. Chamber is right there with them. And I assume — and I’m a member of the U.S. Chamber. Maybe I’ll have to rethink that, because when you look at it, the Chamber is probably more for the companies and the people that are members than they are for our country.

KERNAN: (interrupting)

THE PRESIDENT: He’s not protecting our country. He’s doing a very big disservice. And frankly, I’ve never had support from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce because they know where I stand on these things. I don’t need money. I don’t care how things are. The only thing I care about is our country, and he’s protecting all of those companies.

RUSH: Right. That’s a pretty good summation of who Myron Brilliant is (“not so brilliant”) and what Myron Brilliant is doing.

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