Former White House Communications Director Alyssa Farah Griffin expressed shock over President Donald Trump’s recent remarks on tariffs, saying she could “picture the White House press shop gasping” when they heard it.
In a CNN interview with John Berman, Griffin criticized the president’s comment that “maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30,” suggesting that families might have to make do with fewer imported goods due to new tariffs.
Griffin emphasized that such statements are out of touch with the economic realities many Americans face.
“I can picture the White House press shop gasping when they heard that line,” she remarked, highlighting the disconnect between the administration’s messaging and public perception.
She further pointed out that the uncertainty surrounding these tariffs is causing significant market instability. “There’s tremendous market uncertainty over these tariffs; businesses aren’t able to be hiring, investing, planning for years ahead because they just simply don’t know what Donald Trump is going to do next,” Griffin explained.
Addressing the potential impact on American families, Griffin expressed skepticism about the White House’s preparedness for the consequences of these tariffs. “I’m skeptical that the White House is prepared for how much hardship Americans could feel in a matter of weeks because of these tariffs,” she said.
She also noted that while large retailers like Target and Walmart might absorb some of the increased costs, small businesses and industries such as agriculture and automotive manufacturing could face severe challenges. “The impacts that could come to small businesses, the impacts that are going to hit the auto industry, the agriculture industry, [are real],” Griffin stated.
Griffin concluded by criticizing the administration’s approach to addressing the potential fallout from these policies. “You heard it on with Dana Bash this week. [The] Secretary of Agriculture [is] basically saying, we’re almost gearing up to bail out farmers. That’s not like a winning first hundred-day message,” she remarked. “You don’t want to put yourself in a position that you then need to bail out farmers,” she added.
Her comments come amid growing concerns within the Republican Party about the economic implications of the president’s trade policies and the administration’s ability to effectively manage their consequences.
Watch the segment below from CNN:
