CHINA/ECONOMY/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow apparently didn’t get much advance notice of President Donald Trump’s threat to impose an additional $100 billion in tariffs on Chinese imports. Asked by reporters Friday [4-6-18] when he first learned of the president’s decision to instruct his top trade official to consider the new tariffs, Kudlow took a lengthy pause before responding: ‘Last evening.’ The White House statement announcing the move went out shortly after 6:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on Thursday [4-5-18]. The former CNBC contributor and Reagan administration official has spent the past few days as a self-described ‘happy warrior’ for Trump, who on Tuesday [4-3-18] announced plans to hike tariffs by 25 percent on Chinese manufacturing imports and other products worth around $50 billion.”
-Quint Forgey, “Kudlow just learned of Trump’s latest tariffs move last night,” Politico, April 6, 2018 12:59 pm