Some Republican senators struggled today to defend the short-term strain on Americans from President Donald Trump’s newly announced sweeping global tariff policies. They argued that it could help Americans in the long run even as they were worried about the immediate impact on prices.
Sen. James Lankford of Oklahoma said he still had “a lot of questions” about how the tariffs will be rolled out, adding that some products will “benefit” while tariffs will be a “detriment” for others, like “clothing, electronics, some of those things that are only made overseas now.”
Lankford conceded “there will be short-term impact. There’s no doubt.” Pressed by CNN on Trump’s campaign promise to lower prices, Lankford responded, “I think you’ve got to be able to take it where he means it on that,” pointing to egg prices now declining from exceedingly high levels.
Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who has been “concerned” about tariffs, said he’s willing to give Trump “the benefit of the doubt,” adding “there’s no doubt that we’ve lost critical manufacturing overseas.”
He called tariffs a “double-edged sword,” saying Trump has used the policy effectively in the past and is announcing investments in the US, as well as lowering barriers to trade with other countries. Pressed on how long he’s willing to give Trump the benefit of the doubt, Johnson answered, “I can’t predict that.”
Sen. Rick Scott blamed “fiscal insanity,” driven by increased spending, for the inflation that is putting a strain on Americans’ pocketbooks, adding he’s “really excited” about Trump’s tariff announcement. The Florida Republican said his focus in campaigns has been on “how do we get more American jobs? That’s what this is going to do.”
Republican Leader John Thune, who hails from the agricultural state of South Dakota, said the short-term market reaction to Trump’s tariffs proposal was not “unexpected” even as he cautioned there must be vigilance to make sure certain sectors of the economy aren’t damaged by the long-term impacts of the tariffs
