Donald Trump has stated that he did not caution car industry executives about increasing prices as a result of tariffs being implemented on foreign-made automobiles. In an interview with NBC News, he expressed indifference towards the possibility of price hikes.

These comments come as the White House prepares to introduce new tariffs on various consumer goods on April 2, which has raised concerns about potential price increases for consumers and garnered criticism from international leaders.

On Sunday, US Senator Rand Paul, a fellow Republican of Trump, voiced his concerns about Trump’s commitment to tariffs.

Paul stated on The Cats Roundtable, a radio show on New York’s WABC 770 AM, “International trade since [the second world war] has made us phenomenally rich.” He disagreed with Trump, stating that trade has made the world a better place and emphasized the adage, “The more we trade… the less we fight.”

In his interview with NBC News, Trump expressed his belief that the permanent tariffs on foreign-made automobiles would benefit US-based factories. He expressed his hope that the imposition of tariffs would lead to higher prices, resulting in increased sales of American-made cars.

Despite promising to lower consumer prices during his successful re-election campaign in November, Trump stated that he would only consider negotiations regarding tariffs “if people are willing to give us something of great value.”

These tariffs are part of Trump’s efforts to support American manufacturing and reduce the country’s trade deficit, which have been a focal point of his presidency, leading to ongoing tensions with major trading partners.