Fox News host Maria Bartiromo acknowledged on Monday, April 7, that President Donald Trump’s proposed tariffs will likely have a direct, negative impact on American consumers, even as she attempted to allay broader economic concerns about the market’s reaction.
Bartiromo, who hosts “Mornings with Maria” on Fox Business, suggested the sliding stock market may be an “overreaction” to the president’s recently announced tariff policies while admitting they would likely lead to higher prices for everyday Americans.
“It is going to have an effect on Main Street,” she said. “Some things will become higher priced. We will see some products actually be raised in price because companies will pass on the cost of tariffs to consumers. I would expect that.”
The Fox Business host further acknowledged the potential economic risk, stating: “That’s why you have some people saying that we could see a recession, we’ll see a growth slowdown.”
Bartiromo’s comments came as global markets reacted sharply to Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, which the president announced through an executive order declaring a national emergency due to persistent U.S. goods trade deficits. The order imposes additional ad valorem duties on all imports, with higher rates targeting specific trading partners.
The market response has been dramatic, with the S&P 500 reportedly falling over 10% in just two days following the announcement. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has shown similar volatility, though reports indicate it has since recovered some of those losses.
Despite acknowledging these concerns, Bartiromo maintained that the situation could improve quickly. She argued that a single announcement about the Trump White House renegotiating trading terms with a foreign country could help change public opinion. She characterized America as being in the “disruption” phase that Trump had previously cautioned about.
Her assessment aligns with reports that over 50 countries have reached out to the White House to begin trade negotiations following the tariff announcement. White House National Economic Council member Kevin Hassett confirmed these outreach efforts, though only a handful of nations have publicly confirmed they are in talks with the administration.
These countries reportedly include Israel, Japan, the United Kingdom, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, India, South Korea, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, and Malaysia, all at various stages of trade discussions with the United States.
Bartiromo cited economic analysis from Nancy Lazar, Chief Global Economist at Piper Sandler, who predicted that if the tariffs remain in place for at least six months, U.S. real GDP could decline by approximately one percent in the second and third quarters, with unemployment potentially rising.
The tariffs come as part of Trump’s stated strategy to address what he describes as a lack of reciprocity in trade relationships with key trading partners. In the executive order, the president cites disparate tariff rates, non-tariff barriers, and policies that suppress domestic wages and consumption in other countries as contributing factors to U.S. trade imbalances.
Trump has argued these measures are necessary to strengthen the U.S. manufacturing and defense-industrial base, which he maintains has been eroded by persistent trade deficits.
The European Union has warned it will defend its interests with “proportionate countermeasures” if negotiations with the United States fail to resolve the tariff dispute. Several countries, including the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Vietnam, have already sought to renegotiate the tariffs.
During a segment on her show “Mornings With Maria,” Bartiromo reportedly questioned whether Congress should be involved in Trump’s tariff decisions, describing the market fallout as a “debacle.” This represents a shift for Bartiromo, who has generally been supportive of Trump’s policies.
In Congress, Senator Chuck Grassley and Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell have introduced a measure to ensure legislative oversight of presidential tariff decisions, as the markets continue to respond to the economic uncertainty.
The tariff methodology has drawn scrutiny from analysts who note that Trump’s approach to “reciprocal” tariffs doesn’t directly correlate with the tariff rates that foreign countries impose on the United States, raising questions about the policy’s structure and intended outcomes.
