Recently, Wisconsin Republican Senator Ron Johnson, 69, warned on Friday, April 4, that voters in the swing state are “very concerned” about President Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Why It Matters
Trump announced a new round of tariffs on imports from many countries around the world on Wednesday, April 2, which he said was intended to close the trade deficit and restore U.S. manufacturing.
After the announcement, economists said the tariffs would increase the price of goods for U.S. consumers, and the market reacted negatively.
What To Know
Johnson, known as a major supporter of the president, spoke about concerns among Wisconsin voters during an interview on Fox Business on Friday, April 4. Johnson represents a battleground state that supported Trump by less than one percentage point last November.
He said Trump has “long held” beliefs that tariffs will resolve the problems experienced by the United States, but it is “indisputable” that markets are headed lower.
Johnson said during the interview, “I’m getting all kids of reactions from businesses and farmers in Wisconsin that are highly concerned about what’s happening; those are the facts. All I can really do is report the reality to the administration, let them know how these actions are impacting my constituents, and it’ll be basically up to President Trump and his administration to determine exactly how long they’re going to go down this road.”
He described Trump’s new tariff orders as “bold, risky moves” and said he couldn’t predict how they would turn out.
Another Republican senator has criticized the tariffs, Rand Paul of Kentucky, who warned that the tariffs would be costly for the GOP.
According to Newsweek, this week four GOP senators voted to end Trump’s emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking by imposing tariffs on it in Canada. Paul, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska have all joined the Democratic Party, which opposes Trump.
The 10 percent “baseline” tariff will take effect April 5, and the reciprocal tariff will begin April 9, and a Budget Lab analysis found that Americans could pay up to $4,200 more per year as a result of the tariffs, according to Newsweek.
Also Read: US tariffs will hit India’s economic growth in the current fiscal year
