During an appearance on Fox News Sunday, Chris Wallace pressed Kudlow about Trump’s obviously false claims, saying, “It’s not China that pays tariffs, it’s the American importers, the American companies that pay what in effect is a tax increase and oftentimes passes it on to U.S. consumers.” To which Kudlow, a noted Trump loyalist, responded, “Fair enough, in fact, both sides will pay, both sides will pay in these things.” Not content to let Kudlow only half-admit the president’s entire economic policy is based on a lie, Wallace shot back, “If it’s a tariff on goods coming into the country, the Chinese aren’t paying.” Kudlow, who looked completely miserable, tried to obfuscate, but you could tell his heart wasn’t really in it. “No,” he told Wallace, “but the Chinese will suffer G.D.P. losses and so forth with respect to a diminishing export market and goods that they may need.”

“I understand that,” said Wallace, “but the president says that China pays the tariffs—they may suffer consequences, but it’s U.S. businesses and U.S. consumers who pay, correct?”

“Yes, to some extent,” a defeated Kudlow answered, presumably picturing the chewing-out via Twitter he was about to receive. “I don’t disagree with that. Again, both sides will suffer on this.”

It can’t be underscored enough that Kudlow isn’t some ex-Goldman globalist admitting that the president is lying through his caps about who’s paying for his “good and easy to win” trade war, but a longtime lackey who has had no issue making patently absurd statements in service to Trump in the past. And in a move everyone outside the Oval Office saw coming: