Day 1420: "Can’t guarantee anything."

WTF Just Happened Today?

Monday, December 9, 2024

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1/ Trump “can’t guarantee anything” when asked whether his promised tariffs would increase prices for Americans, in an NBC interview. “I think tariffs are the most beautiful word. I think they’re beautiful. It’s going to make us rich,” Trump said. Economists, however, have argued that Trump’s proposal to impose a 25% tariff on imports from Mexico and Canada, along with a 10% tariff on Chinese goods, would raise prices for U.S. consumers since tariffs are paid by American companies importing the products and not by the exporting countries. When informed that economists agree that Americans would pay higher prices as a result of his plan, Trump dismissed the claim, saying, “I don’t believe that.” And when asked to guarantee American families wouldn’t pay more, Trump replied: “I can’t guarantee anything. I can’t guarantee tomorrow.” (Politico / CBS News / Associated Press / NPR)

• Trump details sweeping changes he’ll carry out on day one and beyond in an exclusive interview. “Trump vowed to launch a mass deportation effort, impose tariffs and pardon many convicted in the Jan. 6 attack.” (NBC News)
• READ: The full transcript of Trump’s interview with “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker

2/ Trump confirmed that he will “most likely” pardon his supporters involved in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. “I’m going to be acting very quickly […] First day,” Trump said. “They’ve been in there for years, and they’re in a filthy, disgusting place that shouldn’t even be allowed to be open.” Trump said there “may be some exceptions” to his pardons “if somebody was radical, crazy,” but didn’t rule out pardoning people who had pleaded guilty “because they had no choice.” On Jan. 6, 2021, Trump tried to overturn his 2020 election loss by encouraging his followers to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell” to stop Congress from certifying Biden as president. “You have to show strength and you have to be strong,” Trump said. In response, House Democrats introduced an article of impeachment against Trump for “incitement of insurrection” for his role in the riots at the Capitol that left five people dead. Seven days after the attack, Trump was impeached for a second time, with 10 Republicans joining Democrats in the vote. Trump is the only U.S. President to have been impeached twice. The Senate then voted to acquit Trump for the second time in 13 months. Trump also said that members of the Jan. 6 committee “should go to jail” for investigating him. The bipartisan committee voted unanimously to WTF Just Happened Today? for more news and headlines, brought to you by Matt Kiser. The WTFJHT Podcast is narrated and produced by Joe Amditis.