CNN host Richard Quest tore into President Trump over new tariffs on foreign nations his administration announced Wednesday.
"Let there be no doubt about this: The president said today a whole load of economic nonsense, things that we know simply will not happen. He talks about it being great for the economy and 'it’s going to boost growth.' It will not," Quest said on CNN.
The anchor's comments were first highlighted by Mediaite.
The president announced in a speech from the Rose Garden that he would impose a 10-percent general tariff on all imports to the U.S. with the exception of those from Canada and Mexico, along with targeted tariffs on dozens of additional countries.
The news sent markets into a tailspin and has sparked widespread concern among economic forecasters on the effect it could have on consumer goods.
The White House has argued Trump is being lenient on foreign nations and is trying to end a years-long trend of other world nations "ripping off" U.S. workers and companies.
But Quest characterized the new tariffs as a mistake.
"They’re coming from importers," he said. "Importers will pay because they get something known as a customs schedule when the goods come off the boat. And that is an invoice. And the importer pays, and the importer passes it to the wholesaler. The wholesaler passes it to the distributor. The distributor, get your wallet out, passes it to you."
