Trump to nominate Kash Patel as FBI director, announces tariffs : NPR

Eric Deggans, host:

President Biden heads to Angola this week, and Congress will return to the Capitol after the Thanksgiving break to trade turkeys and lame ducks. Meanwhile, President-elect Trump has named nearly all of his top picks and appointments, including the new name of FBI director Kash Patel. Here he appears on former Trump advisor Steve Bannon’s podcast in December 2023.

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Kash Patel: We seek out conspirators not only in government but also in the media. Yes, we will go after media members who lied about the American people and helped Joe Biden rig the presidential election. we will follow you. Whether it’s criminal or civil, we’ll resolve it.

DEGGANS: NPR national political correspondent Mara Liasson joins us. Good morning, Mara.

Mara Liesson, Signed: Good morning, Eric.

Deggans: So Patel is often described as a loyalist, but that may actually be an underestimation of his commitment to Trump. What more do you need to know about him?

Liesson: That’s right. He is completely dedicated to President Trump’s goals, which President Trump has stated many times during his campaign, against political opponents and parts of the government that he feels President Trump is unfairly targeting. It’s about revenge and retaliation. These are the so-called rule of law institutions, the Justice Department, the FBI, and the intelligence community, who have been accused of mishandling classified documents, attempting to overturn a free and fair election, improper cooperation with Russia, and much more. was investigating Trump. 2016 Election. And in his statement nominating Patel, President Trump said Patel would work to restore loyalty, courage and integrity to the FBI. I think the first and most important word is “loyalty.” Because for Trump, loyalty is the coin of the nation. And Patel recently said he would close the FBI building on the first day and reopen it as a deep state museum the next day. And he actually publishes a deep state list of specific people he wants fired. Now, it remains to be seen what Republican senators think about this nomination, but they do know that in order to confirm Patel, they would have to fire Chris Wray, a Trump appointee with a 10-year term. There is. It won’t end until 2027.

Deggans: Wow. It looks like they have a lot planned for the first day. There, Trump met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and met with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum. It’s about tariffs, right?

Liesson: That’s right. This is President Trump’s first major policy announcement. On his first day, he said he would impose a 25% tariff on Mexican and Canadian goods entering the United States and an additional 10% on Chinese goods. Customs duty is a tax levied on imported goods. They are passed on to American consumers. Economists estimate that all of these tariffs would increase consumer costs by about $2,000 a year. It would also scrap the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement, which eliminated tariffs between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, which President Trump negotiated during his first term.

Deggans: So President Trump said that after Mr. Sheinbaum threatened tariffs, he “agreed to stop immigration through Mexico,” even though Mr. Sheinbaum didn’t actually agree to that. He described it as “a great conversation,” according to the quote. ” So how much of this tariff negotiation is sham and bluff?

LIASSON: Well, that’s the big question. Is this a negotiating tactic or the beginning of a real trade war? Sheinbaum says if the tariffs continue, he will impose retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods. As you know, during his first term, President Trump threatened to impose tariffs on Mexico and Canada in 2019. But then, after negotiating some changes to NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the tariffs were lifted and the name changed to the “United States-Mexico Agreement.” Canada Trade Agreement. Wall Street thinks he’s bluffing. They accepted this graciously. Scott Bessent, President Trump’s nominee for the Treasury Department, said tariffs are a negotiating tool. He says de-escalation sometimes requires de-escalation. That’s the big question. Will he pull this off or is this just a negotiating tactic?

DEGGANS: Well, that’s NPR’s Mara Liasson. Thank you so much for joining us, Mara.

Liesson: You’re welcome.

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