Trump's Secretary of 'Loyalty and Money'

"Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick went on CNBC this fall to promote a deal so great that he deemed it "off the rails." The government of Japan, he explained, had brought down its tariff rate by giving President Donald Trump $550 billion to spend on whatever he wants. "They are going to give America money when we ask for it to build the projects," he said with a grin."

"They would have a say in how the money was invested, and maintained the right to reject proposals. Making matters worse, the Trump administration had initially increased tariffs on Japan in August, during the rollout of the broader deal, an error that its chief negotiator described as "extremely regrettable." Taro Kono, a member of Japan's House of Representatives, told reporters that month, as the confusion was playing out in public: "Washington is just randomly shooting, and they are shooting some like-minded countries from behind.""

"Trump was irritated by public skepticism over the agreement's terms, as were top White House aides, five officials with direct knowledge of the discussions told us. "Howard is telling the president things that just aren't true," a Trump confidant said, referencing the Japan deal. "You just can't do that." A senior administration official clarified that Trump's "ire wasn't just directed at Howard, but also at the Japanese negotiators." The White House declined to comment on the miscommunication."

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick publicly characterized a U.S.-Japan agreement as a massive, unrestricted $550 billion transfer to President Trump for infrastructure projects. Japanese officials rejected that portrayal, asserting they retained approval authority and could reject proposals. During the rollout, the Trump administration mistakenly raised tariffs on Japan, a move called "extremely regrettable" by its negotiator. Japanese representative Taro Kono criticized U.S. actions as "randomly shooting" allied countries. The misstatements and tariff error provoked irritation from Trump and senior aides and intensified tensions between U.S. and Japanese negotiators.

Read at The Atlantic