Trump said it was "fake news" but..."I'm a fan of universal tariffs".

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's hard-line universal tariff policy is also controversial among his aides, CNN reported.

CNN countered the Washington Post report that Trump is considering implementing universal tariffs only on some items as "fake news," but said there are still disagreements among aides over universal tariffs.

Citing three sources, CNN reported that Trump's trade policy aides acknowledge that Trump-style universal tariff policy may need to be adjusted to suit political and economic realities.

CNN said it was looking at the issue of imposing selective tariffs on some key industries, and that discussions were still ongoing and no policy had been outlined.

When he was a candidate, Trump pledged to impose a universal tariff of 10-20% on all imports.

But Treasury Secretary-designate Scott Bessent, a former hedge fund mogul, doesn't fully agree with the policy of imposing universal tariffs on all goods, an official said.Commerce Secretary-designate Howard Rutnick
has also supported using tariffs as a negotiating tactic.

In contrast, Larry Kudlow, former chairman of the National Economic Council, argued that tariffs could offset the cost of domestic tax cuts, while Peter Navarro, his most hawkish confidant, is also said to be in a position to impose tariffs at all costs for a long time.

Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law and a senior White House adviser during his first term in office, recently said there was "probably more to be done" regarding the policy of imposing tariffs on China.

Earlier, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources, that Trump's side is considering imposing universal tariffs only on certain areas considered key to U.S. national and economic security.

Then, Trump said on his SNS, "The Washington Post incorrectly reported that my tariff policy would be reduced, citing a so-called anonymous source that did not even exist," adding, "This is fake news."