Republican President Donald Trump fired back at an NBC reporter in the Oval Office inquiring about the "inconsistency" in his economic agenda, citing his "on and off" tariff wars with Canada and Mexico.
On Tuesday in response to Ontario's 25% tariff on electricity exports to the U.S., Trump stated on Truth Social that there would be an additional 25% tariff on steel and aluminum from Canada, raising the tax to 50% overall since his initial 25% tax implementation on Canadian imports in February.
Trump reversed the increase after Ontario Premier Doug Ford temporarily suspended the planned 25% surcharge on electricity coming into the U.S. The back-and-forth threw the stock market into chaos, leading investors and economists to become increasingly concerned about the U.S. economy.
During Wednesday's White House briefing with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Trump responded to the NBC reporter by asserting there was "no inconsistency" before railing against the network, adding:
"Only with NBC, which is one of the worst networks on television, by the way."
"Let me just tell you the inconsistency," the President began as the NBC reporter reminded him:
"It was your home for a long time."
Here's a clip.
As the reporter mentioned, NBC was host to Trump's competition reality show The Apprentice, where the then-real estate mogul served as host and producer for the program for several seasons since starting in 2004.
It also put the future President on the map towards a political career.
Nevertheless, Trump ignored the reporter's reminder that NBC essentially helped launch his celebrity persona, and he continued saying he has "the right to adjust" and that his M.O. is all about "flexibility, not inconsistency."
Social media users shared thoughts on his mantra of being malleable.
People are already familiar with his telling hand gesture.
The move was classic Trump.
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