CNN’s Kaitlan Collins got a crash course in economic reality on Wednesday — courtesy of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who reminded her (and the entire Beltway press corps) that buying American isn’t just patriotic, it’s smart policy.
Standing outside the White House following President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff announcement, Collins tried to press Bessent on whether the 25% tariff on foreign-assembled vehicles would immediately supercharge American manufacturing. She got a very simple — and very Trumpian — answer:
“Buy American,” Bessent said, flashing a grin like a man who knows he’s winning.
When Collins pushed again, citing concerns from automakers who source foreign-made parts, Bessent didn’t flinch. He pointed out that vehicles produced under the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) — which Trump renegotiated to replace NAFTA — are exempt from the new tariffs. Translation: if companies want to avoid penalties, there’s already a made-in-North-America pathway.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins seriously tried to corner Trump’s Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the tariff strategy.
She thinks they haven’t thought this through.
He shows, in a masterclass, Trump knows what he’s doing.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) April 3, 2025
And guess what? The industry is already adapting.
Just last month, Honda announced it would scrap plans to build its 2025 Civic model in Mexico, opting instead to expand operations in Indiana. Hyundai is pumping $20 billion into U.S. facilities. Stellantis is reopening a shuttered plant in Belvidere, Illinois to make midsize trucks. Why? Because companies go where the incentives are — and Trump just sent the clearest signal possible: if you want access to the American consumer, you’re going to need to build it here.
Despite the doomsday hand-wringing from the usual suspects, auto stocks held steady after the announcement. Markets saw what Trump’s team already knew — these tariffs aren’t about punishment, they’re about transformation.
In a USA Today op-ed, top Trump economist Peter Navarro laid it out bluntly. Mexico has become the new Detroit — not by accident, but because of rigged trade deals and spineless enforcement. Under Biden, Mexican factories became assembly lines for subsidized, foreign-dominated supply chains. Trump’s tariffs are about flipping that script.
“Lose powertrain production,” Navarro warned, “and you don’t just lose jobs — you lose national security.”
And he’s right. This isn’t just about reviving Rust Belt towns. It’s about reclaiming the industrial base America needs to survive in a world of geopolitical instability.
So when Collins asked about sluggish sales and nervous CEOs, Bessent’s answer couldn’t have been more perfect: Buy American. Build American. Be American.
That’s the Trump doctrine. And it’s working.
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