VIDEO: Trade official blindsided by Trump’s tariff delay announcement

US President Donald Trump's top trade official revealed that he was not informed of the administration's 90-day pause on most new tariffs until after the announcement was made.

US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer defended Trump’s aggressive tariff policies during a House hearing, even as the President declared on his social media platform a temporary delay on additional tariffs affecting numerous countries—excluding China.

According to Fitch Ratings, the proposed tariff hike was the steepest seen in the last 200 years and could have led to higher inflation and sluggish economic growth if implemented. The short-lived tariffs were set to take effect on Wednesday but were halted after only a few hours.

When Democratic Rep. Steven Horsford of Nevada inquired about when Greer learned of Trump's latest tariff decision, Greer responded, “Well, I understood the decision was made a few minutes ago.” Horsford remarked, “It looks like your boss just pulled out the rug from under you and paused the tariffs.”

Greer acknowledged that he was aware a policy change was possible earlier that morning, but when pressed on whether he knew the policy was going into effect, he stated that the administration discusses “all kinds of options.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick commented on X, saying he and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent were with Trump “while he wrote one of the most extraordinary Truth posts of his Presidency.” Rep. Jimmy Gomez, a Democrat from California, reacted to Lutnick’s post, stating, “We don’t really know who’s running things over there.”

During the hearing, Greer reiterated that the US trade deficit represents an “emergency” that justifies Trump's major overhaul of US trade policy, although he noted that the President remains open to negotiations with other nations. He mentioned recent discussions with trade counterparts from the European Union, South Korea, Ecuador, and Mexico.

Greer stated that Trump's blanket tariffs were necessary to address the overall US trade deficit, even if they negatively impact the stock market and strain relations with long-time allies. He emphasized that Trump’s trade strategy aims to tackle foreign countries’ non-trade barriers, which include regulations that disadvantage US companies.

As tensions rise between the US and China in an ongoing trade war, tariffs on Chinese imports have surged to 125 percent, effective immediately. Prior to Trump's announcement, Beijing had retaliated with 84 percent tariffs on US goods.

“Almost all countries have announced that they’re not going to retaliate against the United States; obviously, we have China that has made its own choice,” Greer stated, highlighting China's historical resistance to US market access.

The EU also responded to Trump's tariffs on Wednesday, implementing its first countermeasures against the 25 percent duties imposed on steel and aluminum imports. The European Commission expressed a “clear preference to find negotiated outcomes with the US, which would be balanced and mutually beneficial.”

Republican Rep. Jason Smith of Missouri, chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, pointed out that there is a “serious trade problem when it comes to agriculture and the European Union.” In response, Greer stated, “It’s fundamentally unfair, it’s structurally unfair; it has been for decades, and I’ve been very clear with them that any kind of agreement or negotiation has to have an agriculture component.”