Jul 15, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Exclusive: Daines shows daylight with Trump over tariffs

Stephen Neukam

Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) speaks during a news conference following a Senate Republican party policy luncheon on Capitol Hill on May 1, 2024 in Washington, DC. — Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT) speaks during a Capitol Hill news conferenceon May 1, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) said Monday that the party should have more of a conversation about former President Trump's plan for an aggressive tariff regime during an Axios House event at the Republican National Convention.

Why it matters: Trump has talked about imposing an across-the-board 10% tariff on all imported goods, and a 60% levy on Chinese imports.

But Daines told Axios' Stef Kight that he would like to "engage in that conversation a little further" when asked if he would support Trump's blanket tariff plan.

Driving the news: Daines said "unilateral" tariffs are "something you want to be thoughtful about."

He said he'd be "more inclined to do targeted type tariffs .. versus something that's just universal."

State of play: The proposed Trump numbers would dwarf any from modern experience.

An analysis from the Peterson Institute for International Economics calculates that his proposed tariffs would cost a middle-earning household $1,700 per year.

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Exclusive: Daines shows daylight with Trump over tariffs

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