Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo furiously defended President Donald Trump's tariffs after David Kelleher, the owner of a Pennsylvania car dealership, stressed the negative impact they're having on the U.S. auto industry.
Bartiromo's colleague, reporter Jeff Flock, covered a lot filled with Ram pickup trucks in Glen Mills, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday, pointing out that while some of the vehicles are manufactured in Michigan, others come from Mexico.
Flock said:
“Those are gonna get a whole lot more expensive going forward. And it’s not just the trucks and vehicles that are made in Mexico, but all of the parts from Mexico and Canada, and go back and forth across the border.”
And when he turned to Kelleher, the owner of David Auto, he got an earful about how these tariffs are hurting his business and the industry overall:
“I sold an order for a customer – $80,000 truck. It’s $100,000 now, so he’s not gonna buy the truck. It’s gonna sit on my lot… and nobody’s gonna buy the truck because it just had a $20,000 price increase."
"A 25% tariff affects our parts, they come from all these countries, and a whole bunch of our cars."
Kelleher noted that automakers have built their businesses around free trade agreements and that "when that changes on a dime, we can't build a $4 million plant overnight in the United States," adding:
"I think that building in the United States is great. I think that enhancing the participation of countries on the other things ... but this is pretty radical."
Flock went back to Bartiromo in studio, who responded with angry defense of Trump's actions:
“Thank you so much, Jeff Flock at Dodge Ram… dealership. But you know what? Let me ask you this, ok?"
"How many Dodge Rams do you see around Europe?! How many Dodge Rams do you see driving around India?! Not many, I bet. Why? Because they don’t buy our cars!"
"And that’s what President Trump is trying to change. Maybe Dodge should start building them here and selling them here?”
You can watch what happened in the video below.
Bartiromo was sharply criticized for her remarks, which conveniently ignore the undeniable consequences of Trump's tariffs.
Trump is now offering a one-month exemption on the steep new tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports for U.S. automakers, easing concerns that the freshly launched trade war could severely impact domestic manufacturing.
The temporary reprieve follows conversations Trump had with executives from the “big three” automakers—Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis—on Wednesday, according to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt.
When asked whether 30 days would be enough time for the auto industry to adjust to the new tariffs, Leavitt said Trump was clear "that they should get on it, start investing, start moving, shift production here to the United States of America where they will pay no tariff.” Following the White House’s announcement, shares of major U.S., Asian, and European automakers climbed as much as 6%.
However, the 25% tariff pause on autos and auto parts traded through the USMCA only postpones a larger showdown set for April 2, when Trump plans to introduce sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs designed to mirror the taxes and subsidies other nations apply to imports.
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