White House Responds to Speaker Ryan’s Concerns About Trade War

White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said on March 5 that the president’s moves on tariffs should not be a surprise to anyone. Trump has long said trade deals with the United States were not in the country’s favor and has expressed a desire to negotiate new deals. He tweeted on March 4, “We are on the losing side of almost all trade deals. Our friends and enemies have taken advantage of the U.S. for many years. Our Steel and Aluminum industries are dead. Sorry, it’s time for a change! MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” Sanders answered questions about the proposed increase in tariffs and was also asked for a response to Speaker of the House Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) comments, in which he urged the president to pull back in case a trade war broke out. “We have a great relationship with Speaker Ryan … But that doesn’t mean we have to agree on everything,” Sanders said. “The president wants to make sure we’re doing everything we can to protect American workers and to protect industries like the steel and aluminum industries, that are so important to our country.”