Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) on Tuesday welcomed President Trump’s tariffs, encouraging others to “give it a shot and see what happens.”
“Our country’s going in the wrong direction, $37 trillion in debt,” Tuberville told reporters in a clip that aired on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends” on Wednesday, hours before Trump is expected to announce a new tariff regime.
“We’ve got to get manufacturing back to the country, people back to work. Better way to do that is tariffs, so let’s give it a shot and see what happens,” Tuberville added.
Trump has called Wednesday “Liberation Day,” with plans to unveil reciprocal tariffs on multiple nations at a White House event.
Last week, Trump announced he will impose a 25 percent tariff on foreign-made vehicle imports, going into effect Wednesday.
Trump’s tariff plans have rattled other countries, including some of America’s closest historical trading partners and economic allies.
Last Thursday, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the old U.S.-Canada economic relationship is “over,” pledged that Canada will respond “forcefully” and that nothing “is off the table” when it comes to the president’s tariff plans.
Europe has also promised a coordinated response to new tariffs from Trump. And China has said it will “fight to the end” in a trade war, or any kind of war.
While Republicans have largely been supportive of Trump’s tariffs, even if it causes some economic pain at home, there are broad concerns about the economic consequences of the protectionist measures.
