By Isabella Torregiani
2:48am PDT, Jun 6, 2025
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President
Donald Trump's Commerce Secretary
Howard Lutnick was pressed by Republican Senator
John Kennedy during a tense Senate hearing on Wednesday, June 4.
In a back-and-forth exchange, Kennedy questioned Lutnick about the 45th and 47th president's global tariff policies — and was stunned by his response.
Keep reading for the full exchange…MORE:
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John Kennedy narrowed in on President Donald Trump's trade strategy, specifically the purpose behind his global tariffs.
Howard Lutnick's response appeared to challenge the president's stated goal — lowering trade barriers against the U.S.
At one point, Kennedy posed a hypothetical, asking, "If Vietnam, for example, came to you tomorrow and said, 'Okay, Mr. Secretary, you win. We're going to remove all tariffs and all trade barriers. Would the United States please do the same?' Would you accept that deal?"
"Absolutely not. Absolutely not," Lutnick responded. "That would be the silliest thing we could do."
Kennedy, a known critic of the potential downsides of Trump's tariffs, pushed back, seemingly not expecting Lutnick's response.
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Howard Lutnick further explained his reasoning: "Vietnam exports $125 billion to us and imports from us just $12.5 million. And you're thinking Vietnam exports $125 billion?" he said.
However, before John Kennedy could answer, Lutnick continued, "But where do they get it from? They buy $90 billion from China, then they mark it up and send it to us. You're just a pathway of China to us!"
Kennedy interrupted, pressing, "So you wouldn't accept that deal?"
"No, it's a terrible deal," Lutnick said. "We're the one with the money, we're the one with the store. Of course they want us to take down."
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John Kennedy seemed quite taken aback by his answer.
Following up, the senator bluntly asked, "What's the purpose of reciprocity then? Is reciprocity not one of your goals? Are you telling the president we shouldn't seek reciprocity? If that's what you're telling him, why are you trying to do these trade deals?"
Howard Lutnick didn't directly answer, prompting more questioning from Kennedy.
"Why would we open our bank account?" Lutnick asked, as Kennedy spoke over him, pushing, "You're trying to get other countries to lower their tariffs and trade barriers in return for us lowering ours!"
Eventually, the two appeared to find some middle ground.
"We are absolutely seeking reciprocity with respect to things that can be reciprocal," Lutnick clarified. "But when they're importing from China and sending it back to us, they're not."
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John Kennedy continued the exchange by summing up Howard Lutnick's position on the tariffs: "You just said that if a country came to you and offered you the ultimate reciprocity, no tariffs, no trade barriers in return for us doing the same, you would reject that," he said.
"Of course," Lutnick replied. "Because they buy from China and send it to us. Don't you agree with me?"
Kennedy challenged his response, posing the hypothetical, "Suppose they said we won't buy from China."
Lutnick then agreed, stating that they would be more likely to consider a deal, adding that he believes certain products should be brought to the home front for domestic production.
