Stephen Miller: Trump’s Tariffs Are “Elegant, Sophisticated Plan” to Break China’s Grip on U.S. Supply Chains
Washington, D.C. — April 13, 2025
In a pointed appearance on Fox News’ Sunday Morning Futures, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller defended President Donald Trump’s trade strategy as a carefully calibrated counteroffensive against decades of Chinese economic warfare—and a direct challenge to the globalist order that has hollowed out America’s industrial base.
“A Sophisticated, Elegant Plan”
Asked by host Maria Bartiromo about the targeted exemptions on recent reciprocal tariffs, Miller clarified:
“This is just another great example of how President Trump had a detailed plan from the beginning that’s being executed exactly as directed.”
According to Miller, exemptions on chips and semiconductors are not a retreat—but a pivot to a special commerce authority process under Section 232, which allows for separate national security tariffs.
“This is a sophisticated, elegant, detailed plan to deal with Chinese economic aggression against the United States,” Miller said.
90-Day Trade War Truce—for Now
Bartiromo pressed further about the 90-day pause Trump instituted before the next round of tariff hikes.
“As President Trump has said, he has dispatched his team—Scott Bessent, Howard Lutnick, Jamison Greer—to have conversations with these countries and explain to them their egregious trade abuses.”
Miller emphasized that this pause is not weakness but strategic leverage, designed to pressure allies and trading partners to renegotiate on favorable terms before tariffs snap back.
Calling Out China’s “Global Trade Distortion”
Miller delivered a blistering indictment of China’s trade conduct:
“China has distorted the entire global trading system through decades of intellectual property theft, trademark theft, copyright theft, industrial espionage, currency manipulation, and illegal subsidization of critical industries.”
He continued:
“It took so long for us to finally have a President, Donald Trump, who will protect and defend America from these abuses, while every other President, Democrat and Republican, allowed China to plunder us.”
Reshoring the American Backbone
Responding to Bartiromo’s concerns about America’s weakened industrial core, Miller didn’t hold back:
“It is shameful that core elements of our industrial base, our medical base, our manufacturing base, our pharmaceutical base, our defense base, our electronic components, our chips, our critical minerals—that all of the things that power a country—have been centered in China.”
Miller echoed the White House’s position that tariffs are not a tax on the American people, but an investment in their sovereignty, security, and long-term prosperity.
Bottom Line
As the Trump administration prepares to reset global trade norms around the America First doctrine, Miller made it clear: this isn’t a reaction—it’s a reckoning.
With the full weight of the executive branch now coordinating a unified front on energy, industry, and trade, the White House has staked its claim: America is back in charge of its own economy—and it’s not negotiating with thieves.
