House Republican Admits on CNN: ‘I Can’t Guarantee’ Trump Tariffs Won’t Raise Prices
Rep. Warren Davidson (R-OH) said there is no guarantee that tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump won’t result in higher prices for Americans.
On Thursday, Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on nations that tax American goods. The move comes after he imposed 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports on Monday. The president has long viewed tariffs as a way to even out trade imbalances with other nations. However, tariffs often mean higher prices for Americans because the importers who pay the tariffs raise prices to help offset the additional costs.
Davidson appeared on Thursday’s CNN News Central, where Brianna Keilar confronted him with some Republican criticism of the president’s trade policy.
“You have Senator Mitch McConnell from your neighboring state warning in an op-ed today that ‘Kentuckians can’t afford the high cost of Trump’s tariffs,'” she said. “He says one estimate suggests that Trump’s tariffs could cost the average Kentuckian up to $1,200 a year. Do you worry about that for folks in Ohio?”
Davidson dodged by attacking McConnell and praising Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency,” which has thrown several federal agencies into chaos.
“What I worry about is people like Mitch McConnell that spent forever saying no one ever lost an election because they spent too much money,” the lawmaker replied. “And this massive federal spending, has grown a massive federal government. Thank God for DOGE and the effort to finally lean out our federal government and put more into the private sector.”
“So, you can guarantee to folks in your state and your district that they’re not going to see higher prices, the likes of which Mitch McConnell is sounding an alarm about in Kentucky?” Keilar pressed.
“Well, I can’t guarantee that,” Davidson answered. “But I know that’s not the intent, and I believe that the policies have a better chance to work than [to]… ignore what China’s doing and keep trading with them. That hasn’t worked. So why wouldn’t we try something different?”
Watch above via CNN.
