Trump Freezes Tariffs, Targets Election Fraud & Appoints Huckabee | Brandon House & Jim Pfaff
Published: April 11, 2025
Network: The Conservative Caucus
Analysis: Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff
President Trump announced a significant Trump tariff pause on April 9, 2025, freezing tariffs for 90 days while imposing a massive 125% tariff specifically on China. The move sent the stock market soaring and revealed a strategic approach to bilateral trade negotiations that could reshape America’s economic relationships. In a wide-ranging discussion, Jim Pfaff of The Conservative Caucus examined the implications of this trade policy shift, alongside Trump’s executive order to investigate former CISA director Chris Krebs for his role in certifying the 2020 election.
Topics Covered
- The Trump Tariff Pause and Market Response
- Why China Faces 125% Tariffs
- The Path to Bilateral Trade Agreements
- Trump Orders Investigation Into 2020 Election
- Chris Krebs and CISA’s Credibility Problem
- The Case for Same-Day Paper Ballot Elections
- Additional Executive Orders: Showers, Huckabee, and More
- Key Takeaways
The Trump Tariff Pause and Market Response
The announcement of the Trump tariff pause triggered an immediate and dramatic response from financial markets, with the stock market experiencing what observers called a “rocket ship” surge. The 90-day freeze on tariffs provided the breathing room investors had been waiting for, alleviating concerns about escalating trade tensions.
Jim Pfaff explained the market dynamics at play: “People were just waiting for some break in it and obviously got back in. You’re going to have some people who are fulfilling some of their shorts, right? Because they were looking at things getting worse and so they’re kind of settling all that up because the news changed so quickly.”
The pause represents more than just a temporary reprieve—it’s a strategic negotiating position. President Trump himself acknowledged the market’s confidence in his approach, noting in remarks to visitors at the White House that the market had risen “almost seven points” in response to his announcement.
Market Impact by the Numbers
The Trump tariff pause announcement resulted in significant market gains, with institutional and individual investors returning to positions they had exited during the uncertainty. The 90-day window provides countries with a clear timeline to negotiate bilateral agreements with the United States.
Why China Faces 125% Tariffs
While most countries received a 90-day reprieve, China was conspicuously excluded from the Trump tariff pause. Instead, the communist nation faces a punishing 125% tariff rate—and some business leaders are calling for even more.
Pfaff highlighted comments from Kevin O’Leary of Shark Tank, who advocated for 400% tariffs on China: “He wants 400% tariffs on China. You know, he does business in China. He said they steal intellectual property, then they repurpose it and sell it back into our markets. If you have a dispute in the country, then there’s no way that you have a judicial system that’ll allow you to try to resolve those disputes.”
The distinction between China and other trading partners reflects fundamental differences in how these economies operate. As Pfaff emphasized, “It’s just a reminder that communist China is not a free market. It has some things where they’re able to and have for some years make it look like a free market, but it really is not. It’s not a safe place to do business.”
“Donald Trump is standing up for what makes America a great place to do business. And I think he’s going to be able to pull this off. I mean, every indication shows that to me right now.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus
The Path to Bilateral Trade Agreements
The strategic purpose behind the Trump tariff pause becomes clearer when viewed through the lens of bilateral trade negotiations. Rather than maintaining complex multilateral agreements that often disadvantage American workers and businesses, the administration is pursuing individual agreements with each nation.
Pfaff has been advocating for this approach for years and defended the strategy against critics: “I get a lot of criticism, FYI, from people who are saying, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re just buying into everything Donald Trump says and reflexively.’ No, I’ve been talking about this for years. We need bilateral trade agreements. Donald Trump’s putting us on the path to possibly getting to that place.”
The 90-day window serves a dual purpose: it provides relief to markets and businesses while creating urgency for other nations to come to the negotiating table. Countries now have a clear deadline to work out favorable bilateral arrangements with the United States or face the return of tariffs.
This approach recognizes that different countries have different economic structures, different labor standards, and different regulatory environments. A one-size-fits-all multilateral approach inevitably creates winners and losers, often at America’s expense. Bilateral agreements allow for negotiations that account for these differences and protect American interests more effectively.
Trump Orders Investigation Into 2020 Election
In a move that signals the administration is not finished examining the 2020 election, President Trump signed an executive order directing the Department of Justice to investigate Christopher Krebs, the former director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
Krebs had famously declared the 2020 election “the most secure in American history” shortly after the vote, a statement that Trump and many conservatives viewed as premature and politically motivated. Trump fired Krebs shortly after that statement, but the investigation into his conduct is only now beginning in earnest.
In remarks accompanying the executive order, President Trump was unequivocal: “This guy Krebs was saying oh the election was great. It was great. Well, it’s been proven that it was not only not great when you look at all these lawyers and law firms that are signing giving us hundreds of millions of dollars. It was proven by so many different ways in so many different forms.”
Trump added an ominous warning: “We’re going to find out whether or not he was right. This was a disgraceful election and this guy sat back saying, ‘Well, I’m a member or like he’s a Republican or something.’ And right almost right from the beginning… He’s the fraud. He’s a disgrace. So, we’ll find out whether or not it was a safe election. And if it wasn’t, he’s got a big price to pay.”
Chris Krebs and CISA’s Credibility Problem
The investigation into Chris Krebs addresses more than just his statements about the 2020 election. It also examines how CISA was weaponized to suppress speech and target political opponents under the guise of combating “misinformation.”
Pfaff outlined the fundamental problem with Krebs’s assertions: “It is fundamentally a lie and he knew it at the time to say that we have the freest fairest elections that there ever were for many factors. One mild one is that we use these computer voting systems and I’m not trying to bring up the Dominion thing in particular just to say that why would we do that? Why not have paper ballots that can be validated and verified?”
The irony of Krebs’s position became even more apparent when, after leaving government, he acknowledged in media appearances that China and other actors could hack American election systems “right down to the local level.” This admission directly contradicted his earlier claims about election security.
CISA’s Expanding Mission
After Krebs left CISA, the agency was used as part of a broader effort to suppress online speech and coordinate with social media companies to censor content deemed “misinformation.” This mission creep transformed a cybersecurity agency into what critics called a domestic censorship operation, targeting American citizens’ First Amendment rights under the pretext of election security.
Pfaff noted that Trump himself signed the legislation creating CISA, acknowledging “that was a mistake ultimately it turned out being.” The investigation into Krebs may reveal the extent to which the agency was politicized from its inception or corrupted after Trump’s departure.
The Case for Same-Day Paper Ballot Elections
Throughout the discussion of election fraud investigations, Pfaff made a compelling case for fundamental election reform centered on three principles: same-day voting, paper ballots, and voter ID requirements.
The rationale for same-day elections centers on transparency and custody issues. “The reason we always had same day elections in this country was because largely because of custody issues,” Pfaff explained. “All the custody happens in front of all the poll watchers while it’s taking place when you have same day elections. The final tallies and verifications happen that evening and everything is known when you leave ballots in the custody of people over long periods of time.”
Extended voting periods create opportunities for corruption, particularly in jurisdictions controlled by partisan officials. As Pfaff noted, “When you leave these ballots in someone’s custody, often in recent years, a Democrat election official who hates Donald Trump with everything in them. And that visceral hatred really is what can spur on a lot of corruption.”
“The only way to make our elections safe and secure is same day elections with paper ballots… I think you can use scanning machines to count ballots, but you have to have paper scanned in them so that you can go back and validate the end result.”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus
Pfaff also highlighted constitutional violations that occurred in 2020, when several states changed their election procedures without legislative authorization. “Pennsylvania, Georgia, Wisconsin, and Nevada for sure, and I also believe possibly Arizona, they changed their election law outside of the process. There is a requirement that the state legislature determines how electors are chosen.”
In Georgia, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger entered into a consent decree with Stacey Abrams that changed election procedures. In Pennsylvania, the state supreme court ordered changes without legislative approval. These actions violated the clear constitutional requirement that state legislatures—not governors, secretaries of state, or courts—determine the manner of choosing electors.
Recent incidents demonstrate that these problems persist. Pfaff pointed to a Wisconsin Supreme Court election in Milwaukee County where “there was some vote counting taking place and people who should have been able to monitor the elections were shut out. Windows were covered. We saw this in 2020 in Detroit.”
The solution, according to Pfaff, requires both structural reforms and proper oversight: “We need these election officials to never say, ‘No, you can’t come inspect this. It’s too expensive, you know, and you’re meddling anyway.’ Well, sorry. We need to be able to know that our elections are going well. If we spend anything in terms of money, we ought to be spending it on our elections and making sure that they’re correct and that the American people actually have their say.”
Additional Executive Orders: Showers, Huckabee, and More
Beyond the major policy announcements on tariffs and election investigations, President Trump signed several other executive orders that generated attention and, in some cases, humor.
The Water Pressure Executive Order
Trump signed an executive order reversing Biden-era regulations that restricted water flow in showerheads, faucets, dishwashers, and toilets. The president delivered an extended explanation of the problem, complete with his characteristic style:
“You take a shower or wash your hands or whatever you do, including dishwashers where no water comes out. But you wash your hands and in my case, I like to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair and I have to stand under the shower for 15 minutes till it gets wet. It comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
Pfaff provided the policy context behind these restrictions: “The basic concept and unreasonable concept and false one behind these restrictions on showerheads and other things is the false belief that we have water shortages in the country. Now if you’re east of the Mississippi, there’s no such thing as a water shortage.”
He noted that even in the West, where water management is more challenging, the problems are largely self-inflicted: “Environmentalists have messed up that system so badly and they’ve had federal government help to get into it. Americans come up with great ideas on how to deal with these things if we just allow the genius of American technology and American ingenuity to mitigate these things.”
Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel
The Senate confirmed former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee as Ambassador to Israel, a move Trump celebrated with characteristic humor. When signing the commission and transmittal letter, Trump quipped: “He’s going to be fantastic. He’s going to bring home the bacon. A little bacon isn’t too big. It’s just that I had to clear that up.”
The joke—referencing bacon in the context of Israel—drew laughter and demonstrated Trump’s willingness to inject levity even into formal diplomatic appointments.
Congressional Reconciliation Challenges
Behind the scenes, Trump continues working to pass a reconciliation bill that would implement major tax cuts and spending reforms. However, tensions remain between the House Freedom Caucus and Senate Republicans over the scope of spending cuts.
The Senate plan cuts only $4 billion over 10 years, while the House proposal included $1.5 trillion in cuts. Trump has sided with the Senate approach, urging House conservatives to support the compromise. As of the broadcast, no House Freedom Caucus members had publicly agreed to support the Senate version.
Key Takeaways
- Strategic Trade Policy – The Trump tariff pause provides a 90-day negotiating window for bilateral trade agreements while maintaining pressure on China with 125% tariffs, reflecting fundamental differences between free markets and communist economic systems.
- Market Confidence Restored – The stock market surged in response to the tariff announcement, with both institutional and individual investors returning to positions they had exited during the period of trade uncertainty.
- Election Fraud Investigation Launched – President Trump signed an executive order directing the DOJ to investigate former CISA director Chris Krebs for his role in certifying the 2020 election and potentially weaponizing the agency against free speech.
- Election Integrity Reforms Needed – Same-day voting with paper ballots and voter ID requirements represent the only reliable way to ensure transparent, verifiable elections and prevent both fraud and the appearance of impropriety.
- Constitutional Violations in 2020 – Multiple states changed election procedures without legislative authorization in 2020, violating the constitutional requirement that state legislatures determine the manner of choosing electors.
- Bilateral Trade as Long-Term Strategy – The pause is not a retreat but a tactical move toward establishing individual trade agreements that account for different economic structures and protect American workers and businesses more effectively than multilateral deals.
- Deregulation Continues – Trump’s reversal of water flow restrictions and other regulatory rollbacks demonstrate a commitment to removing unnecessary federal interference in consumer choices and daily life.
- CISA Mission Creep – The cybersecurity agency evolved into a domestic censorship operation under the guise of combating misinformation, coordinating with social media companies to suppress speech—a transformation that may face legal consequences.
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The Conservative Caucus is a grassroots public policy action organization, formed in 1974. Headed by President Jim Pfaff, the Caucus is committed to advancing free enterprise, limited government, and traditional values.
Originally broadcast April 11, 2025 on The Conservative Caucus.
Peter J. Thomas is a veteran conservative political strategist and seasoned policy expert dedicated to upholding the principles of the Constitution and democracy. As a founder and the chairman of the Conservative Caucus, he has played a pivotal role in promoting and shaping the conservative agenda across the nation for over half a century.