Who would’ve thought Democrats and former Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, would find themselves agreeing on the stupidity of President Donald Trump’s latest executive order regarding tariffs?
During a Sunday interview with Lesley Stahl, of CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” McConnell ripped into Trump’s plan and said American consumers would be affected the most.
“[Tariffs] will drive the cost of everything up. In other words, it will be paid for by American consumers. I mean, why would you want to get in a fight with your allies over this?” McConnell said.
By that, McConnell was referring to Trump’s newly announced decision to impose tariffs against Canada, China, and Mexico. On Saturday, Trump signed an executive order imposing a 25% tariff on goods from Canada and Mexico, and a 10% tariff on Canadian oil and gas. Trump cited the countries’ respective questionable failures to curb the flow of fentanyl and undocumented immigrants to the United States. Trump also levied a 10% tariff on goods from China.
The reaction was swift: Not only did the stock market plunge, but Canada and Mexico quickly announced plans to order retaliatory tariffs on American goods if Trump moves forward with his shortsighted plan. Already, though, he’s showing signs of wavering.
Trump said on Monday he will pause the implementation of tariffs against Mexico for one month while the two countries hammer out an agreement on security and trade.
In a post to Truth Social, Trump said he had a “very friendly conversation” with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and revealed that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio would participate in negotiations with Mexican officials during the one-month pause.
It’s not clear whether Trump will take the same approach with Canada and China, and if he doesn’t, both countries are prepared to strike back.
This past Friday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pledged to respond to Trump’s tariffs in a “forceful but reasonable” manner.
“I won’t sugarcoat it—our nation could be facing difficult times in the coming days and weeks,” Trudeau said to an advisory council on Canada-U.S. relations. “I know Canadians might be anxious and worried, but I want them to know the federal government—and indeed, all orders of government—have their backs.”
More recently, on Sunday, China’s Foreign Ministry threatened to take “necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests.”
Sen. Rand Paul
Perhaps it’s not shocking that McConnell, a vocal critic of the president, was one of the first Republicans to flat-out say that Trump’s tariff idea was a stupid one. But he’s not the only member of the GOP who has cited concerns about tariffs leading to inflated prices for Americans.
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who only recently started to sour on the president, wrote in a recent post to social media that “tariffs are simply taxes.”
“Conservatives were once united against new taxes,” he said on X. “Taxing trade will mean less trade and higher prices.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Don Bacon, a Nebraska Republican, also expressed skepticism about the tariffs.
“We already had a trade agreement and it was a good trade agreement,” he said on CNN. “It’s hard for me to square that circle. We’ll see what the impacts are over the next couple of weeks.”
Then there are a few members of the GOP who are more concerned with how tariffs will affect them personally. Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican, said farmers in his state are still reeling from high fertilizer prices due to “Biden inflation” and can’t afford another hit. As a result, he recently begged Trump to exempt potash, or potassium-rich minerals that are a critical component of fertilizer.
“Family farmers get most of our potash from Canada,” Grassley wrote on X.
While most Republicans are keeping their powder dry, likely out of fear of pissing off Trump and his MAGA loyalists, the combined statements from Paul and McConnell, at least, put the duo squarely in line with where most Democrats are on the issue. After all, we know tariffs won’t bring down the price of groceries, something Trump pledged to do.
There’s a widespread fear that Trump’s tariffs will instead lead to soaring grocery store bills. The cost of cars and car parts, electronics, and gas are likely to increase as well.
Trump’s delusion has led him to believe his tariffs, or the threat of him imposing them, will force other countries to comply with his whims and demands. But we don’t yet know that to be true. What we do know is that starting soon, Americans might experience some sticker shock the next time they go to the store. And they have Trump to blame for that.
Campaign Action
