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Bessent Previews Liberation Day Reciprocal Tariffs

April 1, 2025 · The White House · 0:01:13

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke about Liberation Day in a White House clip recorded ahead of the April 2 announcement. Bessent said, as he stated it, that for the first time in decades — probably since he was a college student — the country is going to see fair trade.

Bessent said, as he stated it, that the reciprocal tariffs would be disclosed on April 2 and that he would not get out ahead of President Trump, who would announce them Wednesday at 3:00. He said everyone will have the opportunity to lower their tariffs, lower their non-tariff barriers, stop currency manipulation, and stop subsidizing labor and providing cheap loans — making the global trading system fair for American workers again, as he put it.

Bessent said, as he stated it, that President Trump campaigned on this and has a mandate, having won a substantial Electoral College majority, all seven swing states, and the popular vote, and that he is doing what he promised and bringing jobs home.

Why it matters

The appearance bears directly on the administration’s economic record — jobs, trade, and taxes — and its stated figures are the claims against which outcomes will be compared.

Sources: The White House, “Secretary Scott Bessent on Liberation Day:”, 2025-04-01 (official upload, embedded above; published 2025-04-01). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.