GOP Senator Suggests Trump May Need to ‘Retreat’ on Tariffs: ‘When We Start Losing, You Back Off’

A growing chorus of Republican senators are expressing concern about President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs on Canada and Mexico – the two largest trading partners of the U.S.

On Feb. 1, Trump announced he would impose 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, effective Feb. 4. Two days later, he announced a one-month pause before the tariffs went into effect on March 4. A tariff of 10% on Chinese imports also took effect. The next day, Trump paused tariffs on automobiles at the request of the Big 3 U.S. automakers. On March 6, the president announced a halt on tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods that are compliant with the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which he signed in his first term.

“Almost every industry in Kentucky has come to me and said, ‘I will hurt our industry and push up prices of homes, cars, and so, I’m gonna continue to argue against tariffs,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) told CNN on Thursday.

Asked if Trump should “back off it if it starts to hurt your constituents,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) answered in the affirmative.

“When we start losing, you back off. There’s such a thing as strategic retreat,” the senator replied. “At the end of the day, I think we have more leverage than any other nation. But we gotta be smart. And we don’t have all the leverage.”

Meanwhile, over on Fox Business, Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) also had reservations.

“I’m worried about the tariffs,” he said. “I’m not saying that tariffs are going to cause inflation. President Trump did them in his first term and they didn’t. I’m saying that we just don’t know and we’re in very obscure territory. We’re in uncharted waters. I think if the tariffs do start to cause inflation, I think the president will back away from them.”

Watch above via CNN.