President Donald Trump's chief economic adviser talked up his upcoming meeting with European Union Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker during an appearance on Fox News' "Fox & Friends" on Wednesday.
Larry Kudlow, the director of the National Economic Council, said in an interview ahead of Trump's meeting with Juncker to discuss trade: "They have a positive attitude going into this. Our team has a positive attitude."
He added that the one-on-one meeting is "absolutely crucial," as is a later meeting to discuss tariffs. Trump has floated a 25 percent tariff on automobiles and parts from Europe, and the EU is set to retaliate with tariffs of their own on $20 billion worth of American goods.
"Expectations are so low that I believe it is possible," Kudlow said. "Where there is a political willingness, there is a political way, and I just say keep an open mind, you might be surprised by the outcome of this meeting."
Kudlow earlier Wednesday said on "CBS This Morning," that people should not "blame" Trump for a trade war.
"Don't blame President Trump, I've said this so often. The world trading system is broken, the [World Trade Organization] is broken, there's no reciprocity left, China's the worst offender but not the only one around the world. Mr. Trump's trying to fix trading malpractice that goes back several decades," Kudlow said.
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