House Democrat Informs Trump Commerce Secretary, ‘We Cannot Build Bananas in America’

Michael Luciano Jun 5th, 2025, 6:22 pm

Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick earned an amusing rebuke on Thursday after he insisted the U.S. “produce” and “build” bananas.

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee, Lutnick answered questions from lawmakers, including Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), who pressed him on President Donald Trump’s tariffs, particularly bananas. The U.S. imports the fruit from several Latin American countries, most prominently Guatemala, Ecuador, and Costa Rica.

“What’s the tariff on bananas?” she asked while brandishing a banana. “Americans, by the way, love bananas. We buy billions of them a year. I love bananas. What’s the tariff on bananas?”

“The tariff

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