Despite widespread support for tariffs among American voters, many career Republican politicians still oppose this vital policy tool.
It’s been a big week for tariffs in the U.S. Former President Donald Trump promised to slap a 200 percent tariff on John Deere products if the company went through with a plan to move production to Mexico. The former President has also committed to a blanket 20 percent tariff on all imports. These ideas have support for tariffs with American voters, despite the fact that Trump’s opponent in the presidential race, Vice President Kamala Harris, keeps calling tariffs a tax on the middle class.
It’s not just Harris. Tariffs remain unpopular with career Republican politicians. « I’m not a fan of tariffs », Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) reminded us this week, alleging that tariffs « raise prices for American consumers » and insisting he is a « free trade Republican. » Former Vice President Mike Pence often echoes the sentiment. He’s spent the last few years distancing himself from the Trump administration, arguing that « protectionist tariffs » make products more expensive for all Americans.
But Harris, McConnell, and Pence are all ignoring a key fact: Under Donald Trump, tariffs did not raise prices. Trump imposed tariffs on Chinese imports in 2018, yet inflation remained below 2.3 percent until 2020, when the COVID-19 supply chain shocks pushed prices higher. The supply chain crisis resulted in inflationary pressures which had nothing to do with the tariffs themselves, which for two years did not significantly contribute to rising prices.
The reality is that tariffs have been overwhelmingly positive for the U.S. economy and American workers. A recent U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) report found that the China tariffs boosted domestic production across all twelve industries studied, from steel to solar panels.
And let’s be clear: Tariffs are not a « tax on consumers », as Harris, McConnell, and Pence claim.
