White House projects confidence in tariff plan, points to 'very good' progress

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt spoke to reporters Friday during her briefing at the White House and reiterated the administration's confidence in its tariff schedule, including the 90-day pause to allow for negotiations with some 70 nations. 

Addressing concerns about declining consumer confidence, Leavitt insisted there were "a lot of reasons for people to feel optimistic," asserting that "the President is trying to renegotiate the global trade agenda that has ripped off the American people for far too long." 

She further referred to the economic squeeze Americans felt as a "transition" and said "very good progress has been made."

To bolster the White House message on economic outlook, she said, "consumer prices are dropping for the first time in years, energy prices are down. In fact, oil prices are down 20% since this president took office, wholesale prices fell again."

"There have been trillions of dollars in investments into this country every day," she added. "The president is signing executive orders to cut regulation, especially when it comes to the Environmental Protection Agency, our energy industry, that's going to unleash the economic boom in this country that we saw in the president's first term. So trust in President Trump. He knows what he's doing. This is a proven economic formula."