It’s hard to tell whether MSNBC host Chris Matthews was being serious or just confused when he asked, on national television, whether the United States can “create more wood.” But the White House didn’t waste a moment firing back — with facts, receipts, and a plan already in motion.
During a rant on Morning Joe, Matthews blasted President Trump’s tariffs, calling Republican leaders “half brain dead” for supporting trade policies aimed at reducing U.S. reliance on imports — particularly from Canada. Matthews zeroed in on lumber, mocking the idea that the United States could possibly ramp up its own timber production to replace Canadian supply.
“What are we going to do? Have more lumber made in the United States now? … We’re going to create more wood, is that it?” Matthews scoffed. “I don’t think so.”
Well, the White House thinks otherwise. The administration’s Rapid Response 47 account clapped back with one short sentence that said it all:
“That’s the idea.”
They followed up with a statement released in March announcing a sweeping executive initiative to immediately expand American timber production, aimed at reclaiming supply chains and revitalizing domestic resource industries. Yes, the plan is literally to “make more wood” — not by magic, but by harvesting from America’s existing forests, accelerating logging permits, and investing in rural economic development.
For a man who once hosted Hardball, Matthews appears shockingly unacquainted with basic economics or natural resource management. The U.S. is home to over 750 million acres of forest, and ranks second only to Russia in global forest area. Not only is it feasible to expand logging, it’s already happening — especially under a Trump administration hell-bent on reducing reliance on globalist trade dependencies.
That’s the idea https://t.co/XiWPAfWyeD pic.twitter.com/K5wtirWlpy
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 9, 2025
Matthews’ comments — which bordered on self-parody — ignited backlash online. One user wrote, “Apparently Chris Matthews has never seen a tree in the U.S.” Others pointed out that his argument essentially amounted to defending a permanent dependence on foreign suppliers, even as domestic industry suffers.
And let’s be clear: this is exactly the kind of elite ignorance that fuels the disconnect between Washington pundits and working Americans. While Matthews wrings his hands about hypothetical two-by-four shortages, millions of Americans in timber-rich states like Oregon, Idaho, and Georgia are ready to get to work — if Washington stops choking the industry with red tape.
Trump’s executive order, announced weeks ago, unleashes federal support to immediately scale up timber operations, including:
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Fast-tracked logging permits on federal and tribal lands
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Strategic investment in sawmills and processing infrastructure
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A rollback of Biden-era environmental regulations that throttled domestic forestry
The objective? Replace foreign lumber with American-grown, American-milled wood — creating jobs, strengthening supply chains, and insulating the country from global shocks.
