Democratic presidential candidates, Trump advisers offer differing views on recession fears


A potential recession was the talk of the town on Sunday. Unsurprisingly, viewpoints differed.
Former Rep. Beto O'Rourke (D-Texas), a Democratic presidential candidate, for instance, told NBC's Chuck Todd on Sunday's edition of Meet the Press that he's afraid President Trump's tariffs on China are "driving the global economy and our economy into a recession" and that they're "hammering the hell out of farmers across the country." O'Rourke's Democratic competitor South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg concurred, calling Trump's tariffs a "fool's errand."
On the other hand, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro and Director of the National Economic Council Larry Kudlow were far less concerned. Both Navarro and Kudlow said they don't foresee a recession on the horizon, with Kudlow saying Americans should "not be afraid of optimism." A few minutes later, though, Kudlow acknowledged that he was wrong when he dismissed fears of a recession in 2007 and, well, you know the rest.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Navarro, who made the Sunday network rounds, said "with certainty" that he expects the U.S. to maintain a strong economy going forward. He shook off criticism from the Wall Street Journal editorial board with a little word play.
Another Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), took the exact opposite viewpoint, however, arguing that the economy might look rosy from the top-down, but that that picture is not reflected in the "everyday, kitchen table issues that families face."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
The Velvet Sundown: viral band that doesn't actually exist
In the Spotlight These AI-generated rock hits are brought to listeners by… no one
-
Snow what? 6 charming ski towns to visit during peak summer
The Week Recommends No powder, no problem
-
Retro tomatoes: a species of the plant is evolving backward
Under the radar Environmental factors may play a role
-
Dollar faces historic slump as stocks hit new high
Speed Read While stocks have recovered post-Trump tariffs, the dollar has weakened more than 10% this year
-
Economists fear US inflation data less reliable
speed read The Labor Department is collecting less data for its consumer price index due to staffing shortages
-
Crypto firm Coinbase hacked, faces SEC scrutiny
Speed Read The Securities and Exchange Commission has also been investigating whether Coinbase misstated its user numbers in past disclosures
-
Starbucks baristas strike over dress code
speed read The new uniform 'puts the burden on baristas' to buy new clothes, said a Starbucks Workers United union delegate
-
Warren Buffet announces surprise retirement
speed read At the annual meeting of Berkshire Hathaway, the billionaire investor named Vice Chairman Greg Abel his replacement
-
Trump calls Amazon's Bezos over tariff display
Speed Read The president was not happy with reports that Amazon would list the added cost from tariffs alongside product prices
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off