GOP Senator Facing Reelection Issues Big Tariff Warning

WASHINGTON ― One of the most vulnerable Republican senators in next year’s election is sounding the alarm on President Donald Trump’s global tariffs ― and he’s not mincing words about it.

“Whose throat do I get to choke if this proves to be wrong?” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) asked top White House trade negotiator and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer during a hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

Tillis, a top target of Democrats in the 2026 midterm elections, questioned whether the Trump administration had a coherent strategy after announcing tariffs on about 90 countries last week. The new tariffs have rattled financial markets, wiping out trillions of dollars in value, and stoked fears of an economic recession.

The North Carolina Republican warned that Trump has a limited window in which to accomplish his goals and fix the economy before voters punish him ― and the GOP writ large ― at the ballot box.

“I’m just trying to figure out if they’re going to feel good about this,” Tillis said of the electorate.

“I wish you well, but I am skeptical,” he told Greer.

Tillis is one of seven Republican senators who signed on to a bill last week that would reassert Congress’ authority over trade and end the president’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs. Another bipartisan group of senators introduced a resolution on Tuesday seeking to overturn Trump’s global tariffs.

“We’ve got to get the economy on the right track,” Tillis told reporters on Tuesday. “The economy was still and almost always is the No. 1 factor of deciding elections. We’ve got some variables here that need to be solved fairly quickly.”

Trump, however, has shown no indication that he’s backing down, even as some countries like China are moving to retaliate against U.S. exports with additional tariffs of their own, risking a broader trade war. His administration has instead launched separate trade negotiations with South Korea and Japan.

During Tuesday’s hearing, several other Republican senators expressed concerns about Trump’s tariff regime and its negative impact on the U.S. economy.

“I hope you and the president are sensitive to companies potentially going bankrupt by these actions,” Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) told Greer.

“Who pays these high tariffs? It will be the consumer,” warned Sen. Steve Daines (R-Montana). “I’m worried about the inflationary effect, I’m worried if there is a trade war that we’re going to have markets shutting down.”

But Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said that “everybody’s gonna have to be a little patient” and give the Trump administration time to negotiate new trade deals.

Although the midterm elections don’t take place until November of next year, Trump’s economic policies are already having a negative impact on his approval rating and the type of Republican candidates who are seeking political office, a big warning for the party as they strive to maintain control of Congress next year.

Former New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R), for example, announced Tuesday he would not be running for Senate next year to replace retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), despite lobbying from Trump himself over the weekend.

Asked by a reporter if Trump’s tariffs would hurt Republicans running in the midterms, Sununu said, “Probably, yes. It’s going to make it harder.”

Democrats, meanwhile, were far less willing to give Trump’s tariff strategy the benefit of the doubt.

“The U.S. economy went from the envy of the world to a laughing stock in less time than it took to finish March Madness,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) remarked, referring to the annual NCAA college basketball tournament.