Chuck Todd: Trump tariffs are a 'guacamole tax'
NBC News’s Chuck Todd warned Wednesday that President-elect Trump’s plans for tariffs will likely increase the cost of avocados, calling it a "guacamole tax."
“If this slaps on, it’s a guacamole tax. We get most avocados in this country … from Mexico. If you enjoy guacamole, be prepared to pay a higher tax for it if these tariffs go through,” Todd told MSNBC’s José Díaz-Balart.
On Monday, Trump said he would issue an executive order imposing fresh tariffs at the start of his next term on Chinese, Canadian and Mexican goods.
The president-elect said in posts on Truth Social that he would enact 25 percent tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods, while adding an extra 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods. The aim of the tariffs, according to Trump, is to press the countries to increase their efforts on border security and combating fentanyl exports to the U.S.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long simmering problem. We hereby demand that they use this power, and until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!” Trump said on Truth Social.
In his MSNBC appearance Wednesday, Todd said the president-elect enjoys tariffs because “it brings people to the table.”
“In many ways, it brings people asking for favors for him,” Todd added.
Some Democrats have expressed unease with the president-elect’s tariff threats. On Tuesday, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said he believes "the president-elect has failed to really face the practical consequences” of the tariff threats.
“I think he’s heading toward a real horror show where the consequences can’t be squared with the promises he made,” he added. “For example, slashing government spending at the same time as preserving Medicare and Medicaid.”
Todd, in a recent analysis for NBC News, also questioned if Trump considered the factor of moral character in his recent Cabinet picks.
“The minute you start making an exception for character flaws on your side of the political fence, you’ll regret it — because one day it will be coming from a political opponent and not a political ally,” Todd said in the analysis. “And wouldn’t it be a shame if the electorate decided that politics now belongs to the low-character crowd.”
“This is the moment I fear we are facing,” he added.
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.