Some GOP Senators appear to be bailing on Trump’s tariffs

Donald Trump’s tariffs have created quite the stir, and it will take a strong stomach and backbone to stick by him on this one.

We are not seeing more and more Republicans work their way to the middle, if not outright crossing the line to pushback, fearful that if the economy tanks and they don’t create distance, they will not have a job in 2027.

Double-Edged Sword

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) is someone who I always watch because of the moderate nature of Wisconsin.

Regardless of how long he has held his seat, every election is a close call for him, so he really has to be careful when he steps out on a policy.

In this case, he is playing both sides, calling the tariffs a “double-edged sword.” He also called the move “bold and risky.”

Johnson would not back the move by Trump, instead stating, “I want to see the president succeed,” and “I hope they’re right.”

GOP Expressing Alarm

While typical Trump supporters are playing this one on the edge, his detractors are not being so king.

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has never had a problem calling out Trump, and she is expressing concerns about the tariffs now, stating, “One of the things that I’m hearing from folks back home is they’re certainly afraid about what it’s going to mean for price increases, very afraid about that.”

Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS), a senator who is usually in the background, is also speaking up, expressing concerns for farmers in his state. Moran stated, “I think they’d take a more precautionary method of protecting ourselves. The idea of a tariff to equal the stage has some merit and some support. But I think most Kansans would say, ‘Let’s do this in a more gradual way.’”

Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) who has been behind Trump since Trump beat him in the 2016 race, also spoke up against the tariffs, stating, “Tariffs are a tax, and I’m not a fan of raising taxes on millions of American cosponsors.” Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) has also openly objected to the tariffs.

It’s Not Good

When the market crashes like this, it starts to make people waver, and that is what we are seeing, especially since so many Republican voters are older and leaning into their retirement accounts, all of which took a hit this week.

Senator John Kennedy (R-LA), usually a devout Trump supporter, was not happy with the crash, stating, “​​What’s happening is not good. Now will it continue? Will we find the bottom, and then it will start to go back up? I hope so. That’s what I’m pulling for. But if it doesn’t, we’ll have to recalibrate.”

He later added, “About 62 percent of Americans have money in the market. The wealth effect is real — there’s reliable data that shows that for every one dollar that the stock market, holdings in the stock market go down, people spend twenty-five cents less.”

Kennedy is right, but hopefully most people were smart and pulled their money out early because there is a real opportunity on the other side of this. As I have stated before, I think Trump did the right thing, but I definitely have my concerns with the sledgehammer approach.