According to ChainCatcher, CBS News cited multiple sources saying that although the White House has been trying to claim a unified stance among Trump administration officials on tariff policies, internal disagreements about the policy had emerged weeks before Trump signed the so-called "reciprocal tariffs" executive order on April 2: Trump's senior advisors had privately warned that some tariff proposals could have devastating impacts on global financial markets and potentially cause the U.S. economy to spiral downward.

CBS reported that U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Besent and Trump's trade and manufacturing senior advisor Peter Navarro had an argument in the office of White House Chief of Staff Susan Wiles in late March. According to multiple sources, Navarro advocated for imposing a uniform 25% tariff on $3 trillion worth of imported goods, while Besent, a former Wall Street investor, warned that such a move would trigger market turbulence and outlined various risk scenarios. The report said that heated language continued to emerge.