Fox dismisses anticipated vehicle price hikes from Trump's tariffs

In the days leading up to President Donald Trump’s April 2 implementation of 25% tariffs on imported automobiles and auto parts, Fox News and Fox Business personalities dismissed looming price increases the new import taxes are expected to unleash on American consumers. These auto-specific tariffs, combined with 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum and another 25% tariff on Canadian and Mexican imports, are estimated by economists and industry analysts to raise vehicle prices by up to double-digit percentage points and potentially up to $15,000 per vehicle.

The Wall Street Journal reported that earlier in March, Trump privately warned U.S. automakers not to raise prices in response to the tariffs, even though they will be subjected to them. When confronted with this story in a March 29 NBC News interview, Trump denied telling U.S. automakers not to raise prices before saying of foreign car makers: “I couldn’t care less. I hope they raise their prices, because if they do, people are gonna buy American-made cars.” He continued: “I couldn’t care less, because if the prices on foreign cars go up, they’re going to buy American cars.”