I should like to congratulate you and having done a fantastic job on behalf of the people of the United States. And it's an honor to have worked with you. And I don't know exactly what your timing is, but stick around. Let's do this deal. Trumps in London. We're not going to talk about the stupid high school gossip crap about who said something mean about who just I can't believe the media falls for that. Anyway, there is some pretty
important stuff happening. I'm I'm concerned about taking on two different countries with trade as the weapon. Deborah J. Saunders is the white House, a white House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal. They have no white Horse correspondents at the Review Journal as far as I know. Debora joins us, Now, how are you the white horse correspondent's busy at the track today? I'm working in these new protein bars, Debora, and they really hang on your teeth,
why in your cheeks? And I'm showing white house becomes white horse very quickly, so listen. Obviously, Donald J is embracing tariffs as a weapon. I've got the Chinese trade negotiation, as I prefer to call it, which is necessary and important, but I'm a little surprised to see him unleashing the same threat on Mexico. In fact, your recent article little enthusiasm found for Trump's planning to impose tariffs on Mexico.
What's the story, Well, there is little enthusiasm. So my theory as as we speak now just sort of based on the way things usually work here is Trump came, he's wanted to close the border. He didn't because it was the consequences were too big. He comes up with these ideas that he wants to use to get people to bend to his will. So closing the border he
can't do. So he thinks about, oh, I'm gonna do a tariffs, and aids inside the White House try to talk him out of it, and it works, and it works, and then one day's his Nope, you're not talking to me out of it. I'm going to do it. And then uh, he's done that, and now it's supposed to start June ten, and now you have a new group of people telling him, know, this is really a bad idea.
So we know that the Foreign Minister of Mexico is going to be meeting with Secretary of State Mike Pompey tomorrow, and the question is are they going to work out something that makes it look like boast both sides can save face? Uh, and basically the charists go away, or are we going to go forward as Trump's suggested could happen when he was speaking at this press conference this morning, and really have a two front trade war that could really,
you know, probably the US economy. I was just talking to an economist you said, excided could bring us into a recession if he got up to with Mexico. Well, listen, before we get too far down the road of whether tariffs are an appropriate lever, what is Trump asking the
Mexicans to do? He doesn't say, he won't say what he wants them to well exactly, but in other words, there's no I want you to reduce the number of people crossing the order by there's no there's no criteria that there's no set of criteria that have been released, So we don't know exactly what it is. Well, and if you don't know, nobody does. I mean, well, Donald, Jane, Mike Pompeo might know, but you're a White House correspondent.
They've sent out a letter that when they when they announced this, they said, we don't want to have we want to just sort of decide based on what we're seeing. I mean that was in that was in the announcement, so that there is no uh, they're not asking for anything specific. They're just trying to squeeze Mexico to give to staunch the flow of immigrants from Central America. Well, I get that, but can this do this? Yeah, that's a It's a serious problem. There's no doubt about that.
Or I think it's no no doubt for most people now, and it's not a manufactured crisis. It's a real crisis, and Mexico has got to help with us. Is So, is Trump just feel like because the battle with China, that's a serious battle of heavyweights. But he's got a lot of people on his side. Even Chuck Schumer's saying, you know, stay stronghold the course on Mexico. I don't see anybody on Trump's side. Um, for the greater issues, certainly, you mean, but for the tariff's hair off the tariff
as a weapon. But does Trump just think we're so much bigger than Mexico that he can just, you know, laterally bend them to his will. Yeah, but again, I mean I also think there have been times a way of seeing him sort of talk big about the results he's going to get, and you don't really see much. But there's a bit, there's a nice ceremony and people shake hands and they all feel good. The question is how tough is he going to be about getting concessions
from them. Leaving the goals vague allows you to get out at any time so that you can make it so no one can meet them, and and it and it makes it harder for Mexico to UM to really know for sure what it is supposed to do. I mean, we do know that they have done things to UM to stage the flow of of immigrants from Central America, but there's only so much they can do. Debra J. Saunders,
Whitehouse correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal. Well, one thing is clear, Deborah, I mean, it's got to be at the southern end of Mexico that the action takes place. Just not letting the Central Americans in the whole keep them from coming into the US. Thing North Korea and and East Germany and prisons keep people in that's that's not really a legitimate thing. For a state to do. Yeah,
I don't know if I agree. There's not that much they can do if they attack the southern border, which is a much smaller border than our border with Mexico. I think they could do a lot more to stop people from getting into their own country. Okay, But um, I guess we're asking them to do what we won't do ourselves. Uh. And and I believe that that's an interesting point right now, right there. And And also, I mean, we do know that Mexico has agreed to let people
stay there while they were trying to get asylum. I mean, we know that the concessions that have been made. So that's a very good point you make. So Trump is supposed to say to Mexico, Hey, you gotta get control of your southern border. We've been sneaking people into your country for decades. Do Yeah, what are you high? You know? That's funny. I thought that was kind of a I wasn't sure what you meant, ever, But the more I
think about it, the more ironic it becomes. I'm looking, I'm looking at the border with the Guatemala and Belize. As you know, does anybody fling from Belize or is it just too pleasant. I haven't heard of Belizians. It's not considered part of the Northern Triangle countries that are Why not they get drummed out for something I perhaps, perhaps perhaps are happy and believe I've never been to belieze I, but I'm sure it's in fine place. Will
stipulate the Belizians are happy. Um, so, yeah, you've got to control your border because people are coming through the country, or we'll put tariff signing. Well, well, we'll see how it goes. Listen, I tell you this, and I've got to voice this for Trump fans. Nothing has been done, nothing but lies, hypocrisy, shot, lip service, and the rest
of it on immigration. And there are a hell of a lot of people in the United States who would prefer a somewhat haphazard threatening of tariffs and then pulling it back and then going finding Plan B as opposed to what I think. And I'm certainly not accusing you of this, but the mainstream media trying to make Trump a joke for perhaps making missteps, but he's trying to
do something at least. Yeah, I mean, it's in my mind, it's too bad that when when Republicans control both the House in the Senate that they didn't work on on the on the asylum. Yeah, no, kidding, take away that advantage, right, that this is gonna be the big mistake for the Trump first term. Um, just as people thought it was a big mistake for Obama not to do something about the Dream Act. And I think people are going to
be looking at this insane. You had a chance to do something serious, but you thought you thought that you could just I think something should be done and things would happen, and you didn't understand how much work it is to get things through Washington. And now I just I don't know what's going to happen next. It's possible
that we go further. The thing is that one of the reasons that the U. S. Economy is doing really well, I believe are the Trump tax cuts right, and they brought certainty for companies that had an understanding of the fact that they could keep more of their money and
they had a good idea of how things would work. Um. And when you when you now make them think that they're not sure how they're going to handle their supply chains and what they're going to be able to get, you know what goods they'll be able to get from different places. That adds an uncertainty that I don't think
is good for the economy. And so there are a number of people the tax Foundation is an example that think that this just takes away all the benefits from from from from you know, between China Mexico for sure. But but this takes away the benefits of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Debor J. Saunders, White House correspondent for the Las Vegas Review Journal. Debora, thank Q as always great to talk to you. Thank you for having me.
Well done. So yeah, I could, I could easily see that, especially as we're in the final crunch time of only five and twenty days till the election. Um, those who would like to see the Trump administration uh, you know reelected are saying, oh, for God's sake, the one thing you can't do is mess up the economy. So they're concerned. We shall see. Jack the chihuahua, a popular pet name for the state Mexico. Is it going to cost more
now because of the tariffs the Chihuahua. I have this because listen, the mainstream media that hates Trump is making a big deal over you know how it could really screw up the economy and it could be a headwin we don't need. But this is according to see an end business. If President Donald trump'sose tariffs on Mexican products go through, Chippotle burritos could get a little more expensive then their paragraph two, and then paragraph three and on
their in paragraph four. Uh, this is the Chipotle chief finance officer said, if the tariffs become permanent, which is never going to happen, that's not that that The point is that anyway, if they did, Jack, brace yourselves. Chipotle and I quote could also consider passing on these costs through a modest price increase, such as about a nickel
on a burrito. Wow. Um so sense, friends, you can't even consider yourself in the world of journalism if you write stories about and if they became permanent, that's not even on the table. That's just not even a part of the conversation. Were even talking about that, And even if it did, it's still just five cents on my burrito nickel. I need a burrito right now out that's my supporting Mexico or the United States. If I'm supporting the United States right if I continue to buy Mexican products,
at the higher price. I don't know. I'm confused. The long and short of it is, I'm going to eat a burrito farm Strong and Getty