Looking ahead

The next beat in the tariff story involves the U.S. and China—long a source of ire for Trump and his inner circle of advisors. Both countries are in the midst of a rapidly escalating trade war with no immediate end in sight. Payne has placed China at the center of his coverage in recent days, largely endorsing the administration’s hard line approach.

“I do believe we are in a much better economic position than China,” Payne says, before going on to suggest that many in America’s executive class—as well as many in the media—are acting as an “ally” for China.

Asked whether he really feels that there’s a concentrated effort within this country to see China succeed, Payne replies that he’d like to see Americans re-embrace fairness and “making things” when it comes to the subject of trade. “There’s a reason that the election outcome was what it was,” he remarks.

Besides the ongoing subject of China, Payne’s upcoming programming plans include an April 24 town hall that directly addresses the next generation of investors. Fox Business reports that the show has seen its own ratings bump since with a 50% increase in viewership versus the week prior to April 2 and a +33% rise in 2025 so far.

Those results reinforce that there’s an audience for financial news coverage that comes from a pro-tariff perspective. But both the immediate and lingering impacts of the Trump tariffs have also demonstrated the importance—and ratings value—of more critical reporting.

Asked whether there are any moves the administration could make that might lead him to break with the president, Payne admits that he was “throw[n] off a little bit” following recent reports that Trump had floated the idea of raising tax rates on highest-earning Americans.

“I’m just willing to give it more than a week,” he stresses.