(Julianna Frieman, Headline USA) President-elect Donald Trump slammed the Washington Post on Monday for running what he called a “Fake News” story on “pared back” tariffs.
Trump took aim at Washington Post economics reporter Jeff Stein’s article titled “Trump aides ready ‘universal’ tariff plans—with one key change,” which claims the president-elects tariffs “would be applied to every country but only cover critical imports.”
FAKE NEWS! This "story" solely relies on anonymous sources who don't know what the fuck they're talking about. https://t.co/oHOQxUREFm
— Steven Cheung (@StevenCheung) January 6, 2025
“The story in The Washington Post, quoting so-called anonymous sources, which don’t exist, incorrectly states that my tariff policy will be pared back. That is wrong. The Washington Post knows it’s wrong. It’s just another example of Fake News,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Senior advisor Steven Cheung took to X to call out The Washington Post, writing, “FAKE NEWS! This ‘story’ solely relies on anonymous sources who don’t know what the fuck they’re talking about.”
The Washington Post article cited “three people familiar with the matter” rather than being transparent by naming each source.
“The people spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private conversations,” Stein wrote in his piece.
Since winning a second term, Trump has warned countries including Canada, Mexico and China of incoming tariffs if they refuse to comply with U.S. demands on the border and the economy.
The Washington Post article claimed that “rather than apply tariffs to all imports, the current discussions center on imposing them only on certain sectors deemed critical to national or economic security.” The author wrote that Trump’s initial tariff plans “could prove politically unpopular and disruptive.
🚨 NEW: Trump debunks a Washington Post report that his tariff policy will be "pared back."
"That is wrong. The Washington Post knows it's wrong. It's just another example of Fake News."
YIKES. 🔥
The report in question said Trump's team planned a "key shift from his [2024… pic.twitter.com/8Pfmroqzvn
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 6, 2025
The article was updated soon after Trump posted his response, and the Washington Post added, “Trump criticized The Washington Post’s reporting in a post on his Truth Social site and said his tariff policy would not be pared back.”
The Washington Post wrote that before Trump published his Truth Social post, “the transition team declined to comment on internal planning.”
The outlet added, “Multiple people familiar with the discussions cautioned that Trump can change his mind quickly and that the tariff policies are not yet set.”
Julianna Frieman is a freelance writer published by the Daily Caller, Headline USA, The Federalist, and the American Spectator. Follow her on Twitter at @JuliannaFrieman.
