As the trade war goes on between the United States and both Canada and Mexico, there are some republican senators expressing concern on the issue. Among them are Senators Rand Paul, Thom Tillis, and John Kennedy.
On February 1, Trump declared that he would impose a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, set to take effect on February 4. However, two days later, he postponed the tariffs for a month, with a new start date of March 4. On the same day, a 10% tariff on Chinese imports went into effect. The following day, Trump suspended tariffs on automobiles after a request from the Big 3 U.S. automakers. Then, on March 6, the president announced a suspension of tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods that complied with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he had signed during his first term.
On Thursday, Senator Rand Paul appeared on CNN and said that he has numerous businesses coming to him about the effects tariffs will have on their industries. He said, “Almost every industry in Kentucky has come to me and said, ‘I will hurt our industry and push up prices of homes, cars, and so, I’m gonna continue to argue against tariffs.”
Rand Paul: Almost every industry in Kentucky has come to me and said it will hurt our industry. And push up prices of homes and cars. I’m going to continue to argue against tariffs. pic.twitter.com/Ycpl42w28f
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 7, 2025
Echoing Rand, Senator Tillis explained that he believes Trump should “back off” tariffs that are hurting Americans. “When we start losing, you back off. There’s such a thing as strategic retreat,” the senator said. “At the end of the day, I think we have more leverage than any other nation. But we gotta be smart. And we don’t have all the leverage.”
Senator Kennedy also expressed similar concerns on Fox Business. “I’m worried about the tariffs,” he said. “I’m not saying that tariffs are going to cause inflation. President Trump did them in his first term and they didn’t. I’m saying that we just don’t know and we’re in very obscure territory. We’re in uncharted waters. I think if the tariffs do start to cause inflation, I think the president will back away from them.”
What do you think? Should Trump back off now, or continue to see it through to force the hand of our trade partners?