GOP senators starting to cave on support of tariffs

When push comes to shove, most politicians in Congress will put their seat over the cause… of that, I have little doubt.

With China holding firm, and now cutting off mineral supplies, Dems are pouncing, and the GOP is starting to fold.

Whispers

When Trump started this tariff war, I had stated that he was making a huge gamble, putting all of our chips in the middle of the table.

I had stated that I thought he would eventually win, but it was a very risky move, especially if China decided to cut off our supply chain for minerals and, even more specifically, medicine.

Wipe out?

I was far from the only one worried about this, as there were whispers from Republicans that if this failed, Trump would wipe out the Republican Party.

To that point, Senator Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) likened it to the disastrous 1982 election, stating, “In the national elections, you can go back to 1982 when I think it was about 26 congressional seats that were lost [by Republicans].”

With more pressure on Trump and support fading for the tariff war, Democrats have pounced.

Dems Pouncing

Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) stated, “Let’s keep in mind tariffs can be an important tool in the toolbox when used in targeted ways, but right now, what we’ve got is chaos and corruption.”

Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) added, “There’s no wisdom in this, the chaotic way he’s doing it, the challenges he’s putting on American families, in terms of costs, rising costs and jobs. This has no strategy. It has no sense. He’s being attacked by people on the left and the right … from the markets devastating people’s retirement security, to the global chaos right now and unpredictability.”

Not only that, but Democrats are now pushing the narrative that Trump was using tariffs to make his buddies rich by crashing the market, then pausing tariffs so they could make a killing when the stock market went back up.

What’s the Endgame

Now some Republicans are openly questioning where this tariff war will lead, which is not good news for Trump.

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) stated, “One thing I learned in the private sector is unpredictability can work pretty well in the negotiation, but the private sector — businesses want certainty. They want stability. They don’t like to see volatility."

“And, so, I’ve just been questioning exactly what’s the endgame here? What’s the strategy?”

He is far from alone in these concerns, especially with China now stating it that it will halt mineral exports, which will be crushing to the electronics, energy, and automobile industries in this country. We are nearly completely reliant on China on these fronts, and while Trump is working on deals to replace those supplies, if we get shut off now, it could cripple these industries for months. As this goes on longer, Trump will lose more support as politicians will look to protect their seats over Trump, so he'd better make a deal quickly.