‘You Don’t Get a Consistent Message’: Kevin O’Leary Criticizes the Trump Administration Over ‘Chaotic’ Tariff Policy

Kevin O’Leary knocked the Trump administration over its failure to articulate a “consistent message” about its trade policy on Fox Business Network Monday morning.

“Alright, Kevin,” began anchor Stuart Varney. “I know you think these tariff fears are overblown. Tell me why.”

“I think we have a negotiation going on that’s been detailed at ad nauseum. It’s a little chaotic from the point of view that you don’t get a consistent message out of the administration. I admit that’s a problem. You know, Lutnick says one thing and then Burgum says another. That’s got to get cleaned up, and that’s self-inflicted, they can fix that,” answered O’Leary before continuing:

The big behemoth story we’ve been talking about so much is China. We’ve got to figure out where they sit in trying to come into the narrative. I mean, right now, even over, I want 400%, but that’s just bombastic, 100 plus percent wipes out all trade. And so there’s boats on the water waiting to bring in product. There’s debate about technology like Apple phones, all this stuff. Xi at some point has to take the olive branch that’s been offered twice over the weekend by Trump and say, “Okay, let’s start talking.” I don’t think it’s helping him because he doesn’t have the option to sell T-bills. People keep saying, “Oh, he’s going to be disruptive by selling T- bills”. That will enhance the price of his currency and make his products even less competitive worldwide. That will devastate his economy, which is already on the brink. So everybody thinks, “Oh he’s got the leverage of selling T-bills.” No he doesn’t. He doesn’t’ have that leverage. That’s just pure economics. If you study effects, you know if you start stumping T-bills, dollar goes down, his currency goes up, and he’s virtually screwed. So we’re in a real stalemate right here. We really are, we got some problems.

“But does America hold real, heavy-duty cards in a negotiation with China?” followed up Varney.

“It does, Stuart, because all that stuff that’s made in the factories, almost 39% of it’s consumed by Americans,” replied O’Leary. “If he can’t sell the stuff, those people don’t have jobs. And that’s gonna be a bad outcome for him — really bad outcome  — and he knows it. That is the one massive leverage that we have at the table. If this goes on too long, there will be unemployment or there’s going to be massive inflation as he prints money to pay these people in his country. It’s a hundred percent stalemate. He’s got to come to the table.”

Watch above via Fox Business Network.