Pro-Trump GOP Senator Tells Newsmax He’s ‘Concerned’ By Trump’s Tariffs: They ‘Helped Spark the Depression’

Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) joined Newsmax’s Wake Up America on Monday morning and sounded the alarm over President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs against Mexico, Canada, and China – the U.S.’s three largest trading partners that went into effect over the weekend.

“The president here promised that these tariffs would happen. Now, in your opinion, was this the right call for the president to follow through with this? We did see Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who likely won’t be on the job for very much longer, but he’s hitting back with these tariffs as well. We’re also going to see that from Mexico, too,” began anchor Jon Glasgow.

“Good morning, guys. We’ll have to wait and see to find out what exactly does happen. I share the market’s concerns. I’m by and large, you know, I want free trade around the world,” Johnson began, adding:

You know, the example I always use, if you have ten farmers from ten different crops, are you better off each of those farmers producing ten crops in an efficient way or having each one specializing in a trade? I think the answer is obvious and then scales up the international trade as well. Now there are definitely trade dislocations, there are people, countries like China, they’re cheap. So you have to use sometimes trade to retaliate against that to get them to follow the rules.

Sometimes you can use trade to try to get your trading partners to do something they ordinarily wouldn’t do or sometimes raise revenue to there. So those three different uses for tariffs, but in general, tariffs are a tax. When you have something, you get less of it. So probably get fewer imports, but then with retaliation for your exports. Smoot-Hawley was not particularly successful around tariffs back helped spark the Depression. So I share the market’s concern in terms.

But we’ll see what we’ll see what Trump really has in mind here. I know he used that very effectively when ‘Remain in Mexico’ wasn’t working until Mexico started cooperating under the threat of tariffs. So, again, I can’t predict exactly how this comes out, but but I’m concerned.

“Yeah. Yeah. And we have to wait and see, as you said, because we know that Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau are expected to speak on the phone this morning. But here’s what the Canadian prime minister had to say last night about all this. Take a listen,” added co-anchor Sharla McBride introducing a clip of Prime Minister Trudeau saying:

Tonight. I am announcing Canada will be responding to the U.S. trade action with 25% tariffs against $155 billion worth of American goods.

“It seems like when Donald Trump talks, people listen. And that includes leaders of other nations across the world. Do you think that knowing Donald Trump, this conversation between the two is productive today?” McBride asked.

“I hope so. And again, I hope we don’t end up with long-term 25% tariffs against each country. I don’t believe that’s productive. It’s going to hurt Americans, American companies, American exporters. It will hurt American consumers long term. So, again, I just can’t predict where this all goes, but I’m concerned. I don’t know what else I can really say,” concluded Johnson, a staunch Trump ally.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, 30 billion in US goods and then 155 billion is what carries ships into the United States. So we’ll see how that goes. Let’s move on, though, to the Senate confirmation hearings. You and the rest of the Senate Finance Committee will meet tomorrow to decide whether to clear RFK Jr’s nomination and send him to the full chamber for confirmation. His hearings, they were fiery. Does he have the votes?” Glasgow followed up, pivoting.

“I hope so. I’m a big supporter. I got to know Bobby Kennedy during Covid. We’re fighting some same battles trying to get the American public to truth information so they would have informed consent and whether or not take the money vaccine injection or not. So I think he’s the right person at the right moment in time,” replied Johnson.

Watch the clip above via Newsmax.