Trump’s economic messaging is spooking some of his own advisers

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. WASHINGTON—President Trump’s stop-and-start trade policy and uneven economic messaging have rattled some of his own allies, triggering a flood of calls from business executives, concerns from Republican lawmakers and tension in the White House.

Senior officials, including White House chief of staff Susie Wiles, have received panicked calls from chief executives and lobbyists, who have urged the administration to calm jittery markets by outlining a more predictable tariff agenda, according to people familiar with the discussions. Many in the business community have abandoned efforts to get the president to reverse course on trade, instead pleading with the White House for clarity on his approach, the people said.

In a meeting on Monday in the White House’s Roosevelt Room, the president and his top advisers huddled with the chief executives of International Business Machines, Qualcomm, HP and other tech companies. Some of the CEOs voiced their concerns about Trump’s tariffs, warning they could hurt their industry, according to a meeting attendee.

Trump told reporters that attendees at the meeting talked about investing in the U.S. The mixed messages from the president and his advisers have raised concerns among some Republicans that Trump lacks a cohesive economic plan.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said last week the economy needed a “detox." Trump has acknowledged that the tariffs could result in economic pain for consumers and, in an interview on Sunday, declined to rule out a recession, accelerating a selloff on Wall Street on Monday that wiped out all gains in major stock indexes since Election Day in November. On Tuesday, Trump played down the possibility of a recession, but