| | | | Pretty much every Republican told Trump not to impose tariffs. He did it anyway. | | President Donald Trump has rarely been consistent about much of anything when it comes to politics and policy. He's been a Democrat, an independent and a Republican. He's been pro-choice and pro-life. He's favored more gun control and cast himself as the "biggest fan" of the Second Amendment in the country.
Except when it comes to trade. In the battle between protectionism and free trade, Trump has very consistently sided with those who express skepticism about the move toward globalism in all things. The idea of putting America first, and looking out for our country before we worry about anyone else, has long been part of Trump's patter -- way before he ever even considered running for president.
Which brings us to Thursday afternoon at the White House, when Trump signed a measure instituting a 25% tariff on imported steel and a 10% tariff on imported aluminum.
"The American steel, aluminum industry has been ravaged by aggressive foreign trade practices," Trump said in the Roosevelt Room. "It's really an assault on our country. It's been an assault."
He instituted the tariffs in spite of widespread opposition in his party. "It's still all bad," said John Thune (South Dakota), the third-ranking Republican in the Senate, just before Trump's signing ceremony. "There isn't anything about this that's going to turn out well for us."
And it wasn't just hot rhetoric coming from the Republicans who opposed the measure. Trump's support for the tariffs cost him his top economic adviser in Gary Cohn, who resigned earlier this week following the President's decision to push forward with the tariffs.
So why did Trump do it? Because -- and this is a real rarity with Trump -- he believes it is the right thing to do. In fact, he is convinced of it.
The Point: Trump talked relentlessly about protecting the American worker during the campaign. Then he won. So no one -- including all the Republicans aghast at his decision on tariffs -- should be surprised in the least. This is -- gasp -- Trump making good on a long-held and long-stated belief.
-- Chris | | "We'll be sending something very beautiful to Mars."
— President Donald Trump | | | TRUMP & KIM JONG-UN TO MEET BY MAY | | Speaking of Trump, he popped into the press briefing room, where CNN's Jeff Zeleny captured this pic (above). During their brief exchange, Trump said South Korea would be making a major announcement on North Korea.
That big announcement? Trump said he will meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by May, following Kim's invitation, a South Korean national security adviser announced.
Follow along with CNN's coverage here. | | | Who runs the world? Girls! Check out this Cosmopolitan UK Spotify playlist celebrating the day. | | CNN's Maegan Vazquez and Jennifer Agiesta report:
"A new Marist poll puts President Donald Trump's job approval rating at 42%, his highest in that poll since he took office. The poll, which was conducted Monday and Tuesday, found that some 50% disapproved of the President's job performance.
"Despite a peak approval rating, a plurality of those polled do not support the key policy Trump has been pushing this week: steel and aluminum tariffs. Forty-two percent said they think adding a tariff will hurt the economy, 27% said they believe it will help it, 18% said it will not have an impact and 13% said they're unsure."
Read more here. | | CNN's Greg Krieg and Sam Petulla point out that Sen. Bernie Sanders, the former Democratic presidential contender, is traveling a whole lot.
"Since the last ballots were cast in 2016, Sanders has visited some 28 states (not counting his home in Vermont), often headlining multiple events in different cities over the course of just a few hours. He's made three stops in, yes, Iowa, but also two apiece in Kansas, Kentucky, Florida, Wisconsin and New York, the only one of the bunch won by Hillary Clinton.
"This coming week he will drop in (again) on both Texas and Arizona, where he's first scheduled for an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper at South By Southwest in Austin on Friday before heading down to an event hosted by his political organization, Our Revolution, that night in San Antonio. Sanders hits Lubbock for another Our Revolution rally on Saturday, then skips west Sunday to join Reps. Ruben Gallego and Raul Grijalva in Phoenix."
Read more in their story here. | | 'DASH TO DC': Q&A WITH STACEY DASH | | The race for California's 44th District heated up this week, with Compton Mayor Aja Brown entering the fray. The news came two weeks after "Clueless" star and former Fox commentator Stacey Dash announced her intent to run for the district, which is currently represented by Democrat Nanette Barragán.
Now, Dash, Brown and Barragán are gearing up for the June 5 primary, which allows for the two candidates with the most votes to advance in November. Saba chatted with Dash about the race. Here are some interview highlights. - On why she decided to run: "I've been thinking about this for quite some time. I live in my district and I realized this is home to me, this is where people need the most change to occur. I'm going to fight for that change. It's a labor of love for me. Why I decided to do it now? God. That's why. It's perfect timing. We need to keep the House [Republican]."
- On challenges of running in a very blue district: "The only thing that's been tough for me ... is people not knowing I come from inner city, and them assuming I don't know how to deal with inner city problems, which couldn't be further from the truth."
- On the Mayor Brown TMZ story ("COMPTON MAYOR AJA BROWN: I'M GONNA RUN FOR CONGRESS ... BECAUSE STACEY DASH IS A DISASTER)": "It's fine. God bless her [Brown]. It's good that everyone wants to bring attention to this district." It wouldn't be a race if I didn't have competition."
- On why there is a fascination with celebrities running for office: "Because of the nature of Hollywood and the nature of our culture right now. To be famous, you don't even necessarily need to be talented. I don't begrudge them [people fascinated by celebrities running for office]. I think it's valid to wonder why. All that means is that you have to prove yourself: Mean what you say, say what you mean."
| |  | | H/T Brenna | | | Spread the word about The Point: Tell people you know to subscribe. | | We'd love to share our other newsletters with you. Follow this link for daily coverage of the world's top stories, savvy market insights, an insider's look into the media and more. Our authors for The Point are Chris Cillizza and Saba Hamedy. Send your tips and thoughts via email to Chris or Saba. Follow on Twitter: Chris and Saba. | | | | | | |
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