"Tariffs are bad policy": McConnell blasts Trump trade war
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Sen. Mitch McConnell reacts as President Trump speaks during inauguration ceremonies on Jan. 20 in Washington, D.C. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) continued to lash out against the Trump 2.0 agenda in a Wednesday op-ed, warning that President Trump's sweeping tariff proposals could bruise Kentucky businesses.
Why it matters: In an essay published hours before he voted against Trump's newly confirmed director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, McConnell bashed the president's tariffs, warning his "aggressive proposals leave big, lingering concerns for American industry and workers."
- During and after his tenure at the top of party leadership, McConnell has not shied from criticizing Trump, with whom he's maintained an icy relationship, especially after the Jan. 6 attack.
Driving the news: "It's high time for America's closest neighbors to take the crisis at our border seriously," McConnell wrote in a Courier Journal op-ed published Wednesday. "But no matter our best intentions, tariffs are bad policy."
- "Blanket tariffs make it more expensive to do business in America, driving up costs for consumers across the board," he said, pointing to economists' warnings that tariffs will raise prices for American households and be met with swift retaliation, as is already happening.
- "Hundreds of thousands of U.S. jobs are tied up, directly or indirectly, in trade with Canada and Mexico," he wrote, adding, "These economic tailwinds touch virtually every family and every industry."
- He wrote that "sudden shifts to protectionism" could fracture the foundation of free markets and enterprise that international businesses in the Bluegrass State and beyond rely on.
Catch up quick: Trump on Monday imposed blanket 25% tariffs on imports of steel and aluminum, metals critical for cars, electric appliances and other goods and materials.
- Signing his proclamations, Trump told reporters the tariffs were "the first of many."
- A trade war with China has already commenced after the White House's 10% tariffs on Chinese goods were met with retaliatory taxes.
- While Trump paused his tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which came with demands to curb the flow of fentanyl and tighten border control, the uncertainty of what comes next lingers.
Threat level: Hours after Trump announced his tariffs on the U.S.' northern neighbors, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hit back with retaliatory measures and encouraged Canadians to turn to locally made products — which means skipping out on Kentucky bourbon.
- That wasn't lost on McConnell, who highlighted "hardworking Kentuckians who craft 95% of the world's bourbon."
- "Trade wars with our partners hurt working people most," he wrote. "And the president has better tools to protect American workers without forcing our families and businesses to absorb higher costs."
Go deeper: Ford CEO: Trump is creating "costs and chaos" for automakers
