Biden Commerce Appointee Gina Raimondo Says Trump’s China Tariffs Have Worked: ‘The Data Shows’ They Were ‘Effective’

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo gave former President Donald Trump credit for using tariffs in his trade war with China.

Raimondo followed her swearing-in by giving an interview to MSNBC’s Stephanie Ruhle Thursday, during which she was asked how she plans to address China. Raimondo responded by calling out China’s conduct and outlining the Biden administration’s approach for engaging with them.

After labeling Chinese telecommunications companies as “a threat to American economic and national security,” Raimondo listed “tariffs and countervailing duties” as some of America’s options for dealing with China. Ruhle noted that Trump tariffed steel and aluminum imports from China during his presidency, so she asked if the Biden administration intends to keep those in place.

“The data shows that those tariffs have been effective,” Raimondo said. “And I think what President Biden has said is we’re going to have a whole-of-government review of all of these policies and decide what it makes sense to maintain.”

Ruhle went further by asking if Raimondo intends to go further than Trump did as far as targeting Chinese businesses like Huawei.

“They deserve to be targeted,” Raimondo answered, “and if it’s necessary, then that’s what we’ll do.”

Watch above, via MSNBC.