Frustration grows with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick ahead of Trump tariff announcement: ‘Loose cannon with half-baked ideas’
By Steven Nelson and
Diana Glebova
Published April 1, 2025, 2:22 p.m. ET
WASHINGTON — Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has become the focus of exasperation inside the Trump administration ahead of the president’s “Liberation Day” implementation of reciprocal tariffs — with one saying the sentiment is so prevalent, it is “like being a mosquito at a nudist colony — where do you even start?”
Lutnick, the hard-charging former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald and ex-co-chair of Trump’s transition team, has rubbed colleagues the wrong way on matters of both substance and style — with critics venting about his recent proclamation that a tariff-induced recession would be “worth it,” his call for the public to buy Tesla stock and his practice of inserting himself into policy discussions.
“He just isn’t deliberate enough with his words. Like, he can’t just be promoting certain stocks or saying even if there’s a recession it’ll be ‘worth it,'” one source close to the White House told The Post Tuesday.
“He is a loose cannon with half-baked ideas that he just randomly spews on live television,” this person added, saying the administration wants Lutnick to “think before he speaks.”
“TV interviews aren’t just a forum to test-run your latest thought bubble.”
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https://nypost.com/2025/04/01/us-news/frustration-grows-with-commerce-secretary-howard-lutnick-ahead-of-trump-tariff-announcement-loose-cannon-with-half-baked-ideas/
