The United States sent a warning message to trade partners opposing reciprocal tariffs, suggesting the possibility of additional tariff increases depending on retaliation.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Vessenet said in an interview with Fox News on Feb. 2 (local time), "The advice to all countries is not to retaliate," adding, "Just accept it and watch how the situation unfolds." Minister Vessenet noted, "If retaliatory measures are taken, the situation will worsen, but if there are no retaliatory measures, it will not escalate further."
This is interpreted to mean that if trade partners retaliate against the reciprocal tariffs by imposing counter-tariffs, the United States could impose additional tariff burdens.
The White House announced that President Trump has the authority to raise tariff rates for countries responding to reciprocal tariffs.
Earlier, President Donald Trump announced measures for reciprocal tariffs. The United States will impose a basic tariff of 10% on all trade partners starting from the 5th and will impose additional tariffs on over 60 countries classified as 'worst countries' starting from the 9th.
Minister Vessenet claimed that the intent of the reciprocal tariffs is "to build a foundation for long-term economic growth," stating that "if excessive government expenditure is taken into account, the U.S. economy is not sustainable." He noted that the Trump administration has put the U.S. economy back on track.
Stephen Miran, Chairperson of the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), also claimed in an interview with Fox Business that reciprocal tariffs would be beneficial to national interests in the long run. However, he added, "In the short term, there will be economic shocks." He is known as the architect of the Trump administration's tariff war, having written the 'Miran Report,' which emphasizes the need to pressure trade partners through tariffs.