President Donald Trump has issued an ominous warning to Republicans who vote against his tariffs, promising they will “seriously suffer the consequences come Election time” for their disloyalty.
“Any Republican, in the House or the Senate, that votes against TARIFFS will seriously suffer the consequences come Election time, and that includes Primaries!” the president wrote on Truth Social Wednesday evening.
“Our Trade Deficit has been reduced by 78%, the Dow Jones has just hit 50,000, and the S&P, 7,000, all Numbers that were considered IMPOSSIBLE just one year ago.”
He continued: “In addition, TARIFFS have given us Great National Security because the mere mention of the word has Countries agreeing to our strongest wishes. TARIFFS have given us Economic and National Security, and no Republican should be responsible for destroying this privilege.”
That came after six GOP members broke ranks to join the majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives in voting to block Trump’s emergency tariffs on Canada, a rare bipartisan congressional rebuke to his signature economic policy.
Republican representatives Don Bacon of Nebraska, Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, Kevin Kiley of California, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Dan Newhouse of Washington all sided with the opposition to support New York Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks’s resolution.
The Independent has reached out to the six rebel congressmen for comment.
“We cannot and should not outsource our responsibilities,” Rep. Bacon wrote in a Facebook post Wednesday. “As an old-fashioned conservative, I know tariffs are a tax on American consumers. I know some disagree. But this debate and vote should occur in the House.”
Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote in a statement of his own after Wednesday’s vote: “For months, Republicans blocked a vote on Trump’s illegal tariffs, choosing procedural games over their responsibility to the people they represent.”
“Today, Democrats, joined by several Republicans, were able to force that vote and put Republicans on record. The question was simple: stand with working families and lower costs, or keep prices high out of loyalty to Donald Trump?”
His resolution, which seeks to terminate Trump’s 2025 emergency declaration justifying the tariffs, is ultimately unlikely to become law as it would require two-thirds support in both chambers of Congress to override a likely veto if it reached the Resolute Desk.
The president first unveiled his reciprocal tariffs program in the White House Rose Garden on April 2 last year, branding the occasion “Liberation Day” and hoping to reset the terms of trade with some of the U.S.’s biggest partners, only to be forced into a temporary suspension after the markets reacted adversely.
He has since used the prospect of tariff hikes as a weapon with which to attempt to cajole the likes of Canada, Mexico, China, India, Brazil, and the European Union into bending to his will.
The consequence has been strained international relations, ongoing cost of living concerns in the U.S. and, in the case of Canada in particular, a retaliatory boycott of American goods.
The nonpartisan Tax Foundation has estimated that the tariffs caused an average tax increase of $1,000 per U.S. household last year and has warned that the cost could rise still further in 2026 if the policy remains intact in its present form.
Trump has continued to insist that he is “very proud” of his stewardship of the economy and insisted the tariffs are bringing in billions of dollars in revenue as he looks towards November’s midterms.
However, a majority of Americans polled by Rasmussen this week said they did not believe the new “golden age” he promised them had yet materialized.
Source: independent.co.uk