Trump on car tariffs: “I couldn’t care less if they raise prices”

However, those claims were directly contradicted by Trump this weekend.

"No, I never said that. I couldn't care less if they raise prices, because people are going to start buying American-made cars," Trump told an NBC interviewer.

"The message is congratulations, if you make your car in the United States, you’re going to make a lot of money. If you don’t, you’re going to have to probably come to the United States, because if you make your car in the United States, there is no tariff," Trump said, apparently unaware that even the Teslas built by his benefactor Elon Musk in Texas and California contain a significant percentage of parts made in Mexico and Canada, parts that will cost 25 percent more as of next month.

Trump also told NBC that his tariffs will be permanent, although in the past we have seen the president flip-flop on such matters. Analysts are still trying to reach consensus on how much the Trump tariff will add to the prices of domestic and imported cars, but expect prices to rise by thousands of dollars as automakers and dealerships try to preserve some of their profit margins.