On Monday night, Breitbart News economics editor John Carney brought a dose of reality to CNN during a fiery exchange with CNN International’s Richard Quest on Newsnight. The topic? The Trump administration’s renewed tariff strategy — and how Wall Street is reacting.
Carney’s message was clear: the stock market isn’t the final authority on America’s economic policy — and it certainly shouldn’t be treated like one.
The back-and-forth began when Quest pushed back against criticisms of global elites and suggested that market concerns should carry more weight in policy decisions. He argued that millions of Americans are tied to the market through 401(k)s and retirement plans — and therefore, what the market thinks should matter.
But Carney wasn’t having it.
“I don’t think we should give the stock market a veto over the public policy of the United States,” Carney said flatly.
He pointed to the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates as an example. Yes, the markets disliked it, and stocks dipped — but the Fed moved forward anyway because it was the right thing to do to combat inflation.
“Just like Jay Powell didn’t say, ‘Oh no, we can’t raise interest rates because the market won’t like it’ — we didn’t let Wall Street dictate monetary policy then, and we shouldn’t now.”
Quest tried to argue that what the Fed did was “orthodox” — accepted policy — and that Trump’s tariff strategy isn’t.
Carney shot back with a dose of populist common sense:
“It’s not orthodox, you are absolutely correct. But the market will realize this is the right thing to do. It’s necessary. We had no choice.”
Translation? Just because something isn’t part of the usual D.C. or Wall Street playbook doesn’t mean it’s wrong. Sometimes doing the right thing for the American worker, the American manufacturer, and the American economy requires bold, unorthodox action.
Carney’s defense of the Trump administration’s tariff policies highlights a growing divide in America’s economic debate.
On one side: Wall Street elites, global corporations, and establishment media outlets like CNN that obsess over stock performance and short-term market reactions.
On the other: Working-class Americans who’ve seen their communities hollowed out by decades of bad trade deals, outsourced manufacturing, and economic policies that benefit foreign countries at the expense of American jobs.
Trump’s tariffs — which CNN and other globalist outlets have routinely criticized — are designed to rebalance that equation. They’re meant to bring manufacturing back, protect critical industries, and ensure our economic security isn’t held hostage by China or any other foreign power.
And yes, markets might grumble at first — but as Carney rightly pointed out, markets adjust. The policy must be guided by what’s right for the country, not by what makes hedge fund managers happy.
John Carney’s CNN appearance is just the latest reminder that economic populism is alive and well — and that the fight for America-first policies isn’t over.
We don’t need permission from Wall Street to protect American workers.
We don’t need a green light from global investors to rebuild our industries.
And we certainly don’t need CNN telling us what “orthodox” means.
This is about sovereignty, self-reliance, and a future where America wins again — no matter what the market thinks.
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Want to support tariffs and manufacturing jobs? Learn more about Trump’s 2025 economic agenda here.
