Minutes after President Donald Trump announced a pause on some reciprocal tariffs, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called it evidence the administration is "feeling the heat" from Democrats, but claimed "irretrievable damage" had already been done to the U.S. economy.
Schumer said he and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., were going to talk to reporters about the effects of Trump's tariffs on personal IRAs and brokerage accounts – but pivoted just as the news broke.
"It's still an issue, but not today," he said.
"We're going to talk about what just happened… Let's be clear. Donald Trump is feeling the heat from Democrats and across America about how bad these tariffs are. He is reeling. He is retreating, and that is a good thing," Schumer claimed.
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Joined by Sens. Mazie Hirono, D-Hawaii, and Andy Kim, D-N.J., the New York lawmakers jointly condemned what they called "chaos" in the White House.
"Volatility in our economy is so destructive. President Trump may have paused these reciprocal tariffs, but he's maintained a 10% tariff on all of them. Businesses will now not invest in new projects or expand their workforce because they have no idea of what is coming next," Gillibrand warned.
"A 90-day pause means they don't know what's gonna happen at the end of the 90 days. A 10% is still going to hurt our families. These tariffs and this trade war are absurd. They're going to increase costs for everyday goods, from food to housing to anything you buy for your family or your children. It's going to fuel inflation."
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Schumer said Trump's White House is "governing by chaos" and that the president lacks the understanding of world affairs and "the facts."
He said unpredictability in the markets will and has stymied investment and job creation, and that American businesses cannot map out their future.
Hirono echoed her fellow Democrats, describing Trump's second term as "one damn thing after another."
"Governing by executive order: most of them are illegal. There are over 100 lawsuits now to prevent them from doing all these things that he shouldn't even be doing. But the result of all this is chaos," she said.
"We can throw out all the numbers, how much of these tariffs will cost a typical family. Do you think he cares? Because if he did, he wouldn't do it. He doesn't even look. That is the thing that has to sink in with the American people," Hirono added, comparing the current executive economic policy to a game of craps.
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Kim said he is hearing from people all across New Jersey that Gillibrand's claim "the damage has been done" is correct.
"When it comes to these small businesses, because the uncertainty remains, we don't know what's gonna happen after the 90 days," he said.
Kim said the U.S. is no longer a global leader due to Trump, and that the White House should be joining Democrats in building an economy that can rival China.
He later claimed that "America First" had translated to "America alone."
"I've never seen this level of isolation of the United States as I do right now, and that is so damaging on so many different fronts," Kim claimed.
A FOX Business reporter later asked Schumer about appearing "at a loss for words" upon the news.
"We know that Donald Trump doesn't think things through…" Schumer replied. "But on something so vital, like the whole economy of America, the amount of money people have in their pockets, in their livelihoods, on something as vital as this. Yes, it leaves you agape…"
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not immediately hear back.
When asked by reporters about Schumer's criticisms, Trump said Democratic leaders "knew you had to do it."
Trump went on to say long-term benefits of the tariff regime will "take a little conditioning" as part of a "transition to greatness."
Fox Business' Chase Williams contributed to this report.
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