Lutnick Denies Using AI To Calculate Tariffs [VIDEO]

Mediaite reports:

CBS anchor Margaret Brennan challenged Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over how the Trump administration’s sweeping new tariff policy targeted remote territories such as the Heard and McDonald Islands on Sunday.

She asked Lutnick, “Like, why are the Heard and McDonald Islands, which don’t export to the United States and are quite literally inhabited by penguins, why do they face a 10% tariff? Did you use AI to generate this?”

Lutnick laughed off the question and explained exempting any country or territory left the US open to bad actors such as China who might exploit loopholes. “If you leave anything off the list, countries that try to arbitrage America go through those countries to us,” he said.

Read the full article.

BRENNAN: The countries seem kind of random. Why are the Heard and McDonald islands, which don’t export to the US and are quite literally inhabited by penguins, why do they face a 10% tariff. Did you use AI to generate this?

LUTNICK: Heh heh heh. No. pic.twitter.com/ljsdvCDIUp

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) April 6, 2025