Republican Senator Still Confused by Trump’s Trade Policy: ‘I Don’t Know What the Endgame Is Here’ 

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) said he is still in the dark as to what President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy is.

On Wednesday, Trump announced he was lowering tariffs on 75 countries to 10% for 90 days after he slapped them with higher rates last week. Still in place are across-the-board 10% tariffs on virtually all imports. Exceptions include goods from China (125% tariff), automobile tariffs (25%), and steel and aluminum tariffs. Markets surged in response, though there are still dramatically higher trade restrictions in place than there were one week ago.

Johnson, who has expressed skepticism over the tariffs, wasn’t totally reassured by the news.

“I still don’t know exactly what his total strategy is,” the senator told CNN’s Manu Raju. “We know what his goal was. He wants reciprocity… I’m relieved like the markets are relieved… At some point in time, I think it will stabilize. Again, I don’t know what the endgame is here yet.”

The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged nearly 8% and Trump responded by taking a victory lap outside the White House. He claimed dozens of countries called the White House to express their willingness to negotiate. Not everyone, however, was buying the administration’s framing of the issue.

“But make no mistake about it, you cannot divorce this decision right here from what happened last night, which was, you know — people focus on the stock market all the time,” Fox’s Charlie Gasparino said. “It’s the bond market and the sort of lending markets that’s the plumbing of the economy; and those markets were imploding last night. And that’s why we have a 90-day freeze.”

Watch above via CNN.