CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Calls BS On Trump Cabinet Chief Over Tax-Tariff Plan: ‘The Math Does Not Add Up’

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins called BS on Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum over  President Donald Trump’s plan to replace income tax with tariffs, pointing out “the math does not add up.”

Trump has repeatedly claimed, as he did on Sunday, that “tariffs will be enough to cut all of the income tax” — while also claiming the import duties are a tool to achieve better trade deals.

On Monday night’s edition of CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, the anchor challenged Burgum on that claim, noting that in order to replace income taxes, tariffs would need to be quadruple what they are now:

K. COLLINS: Well, I’m glad you brought that up, because obviously — I mean, tariffs is one thing he made very clear on the campaign trail he was going to do. Maybe people didn’t believe him. But he wrote yesterday that many people’s income taxes will be substantially reduced, maybe even completely eliminated, once the revenue from the tariffs comes in.

But if you’re making deals with countries, and you’re going to lower those tariffs, how are you going to have the revenue to cover people’s income taxes?

BURGUM: Well, there is going to be revenue, two ways. One, in terms of just increased trade, because if we have markets that are open to U.S. company, and more things that are built here, that’s a positive for America, because of income taxes are one form of tax, but there’s also many other forms of revenue that the government can generate. And so, I think–

K. COLLINS: Like what?

BURGUM: Well, certainly take a look at Interior. Under the Biden administration, revenue from using the balance sheet of America, the land and the resources that we have, both on shore and offshore, were going down. And we have a tremendous opportunity through leasing of land for minerals, getting ourselves back into mining.

The war on mining is over with President Trump. The war on timber is over with — under President Trump, the war on oil and gas is over. All this thing is over. And now we’re seeing investment coming back. And in those cases, those companies will buy a lease, they write a check to the federal government, and then when they develop that resource, they pay a royalty.

K. COLLINS: But that’s not the argument he’s making here. He’s saying that the tariffs will generate so much revenue that people in a certain income level will not have to pay taxes. I mean, if you look at the numbers, the tariffs would be up to — would have to be four times what they are now, to actually make up for that. I think some people look at that and say, the math does not add up.

BURGUM: Well, I think when you’re taking a look at the opportunity that we have, to balance trade, and companies that have had free access to our market, even at the 10 percent level, this is producing billions of dollars a day for America, if those stay in place.

If they don’t stay in place, because we end up with free and fair trade, we know that America can compete with anyone. And if we start building and manufacturing products here, as opposed to outsourcing that to around the world, that’s going to strengthen every community, create more high-paying jobs.

And with the advent of AI coming, that’s another thing where we’ve got to have the energy to be able to produce the electricity to win the AI arms race. President Trump, very focused on that.

Watch above via CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins.

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