Former GOP Congressman Tells CNN That Trump Should ‘Be Concerned About the Economy’

A former Republican congressman from Pennsylvania warned President Donald Trump that he should be “concerned” about the economy, forecasting a slowdown over trade issues.

Charlie Dent, now a CNN political commentator, told CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield Saturday that “the president ought to be concerned about the economy. I don’t think that most are predicting any type of recession, but they are predicting a slower economy moving forward in 2020 at the very least.”

He then recommended Trump should stop the “multi-front trade war.”

“I just met with two CEOs of mid-size manufacturers who are alarmed. This is costing them tens of millions of dollars, it brings about great are uncertainty, unpredictability. They can’t plan. It’s affecting them very negatively,” Dent said.

“The USMCA, this is an incremental change to NAFTA. The passing of that uncertain at best, probably unlikely. Picking on Jay Powell, he is not the problem. I think the president is going to have to move out from under this trade war,” he continued.

Whitfield asked Dent if the manufacturers he spoke to won’t support Trump in 2020 due to the trade war.

“Many of them would say they like the tax and deregulatory policies he’s imposed, but these trade wars are simply washing away … or negating, I should say,” Dent said. “The trade issue is alarming. They couldn’t vote for Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders obviously, but they probably could vote for a Joe Biden.”

Dent retired and resigned from Congress in 2018.

Watch above, via CNN.