On Friday on NewsNation’s “Now,” Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) said President Donald Trump’s tariffs were one of the “primary causes” of the Republicans’ recent election losses.
Bacon said, “First of all, tariffs add costs. When the White House tries to deny that tariffs add costs, they are in denial. I think it is Economics 101 just read Milton Friedman that tariffs are a tax on the consumer. Now, I think what we’ve seen in the previous months the White House will add tariffs, drop tariffs, add tariffs so really hard to know what the impact is because there’s been no stability on this.”
He added, “I’m going to support the president where I agree. I will honestly disagree where I disagree. I have never supported tariffs. Milton Friedman and the old school Republicans have always favored free trade. It was Ted Kennedy and George McGovern, the liberal Democrats in the ’70’s that wanted more protectionism. I just feel like owe it to the country to speak what I think is truth on this. I think we’ve learned the tariffs don’t work. Target tariffs, a couple countries that’s different. These broad tariff battles, we will lose. I think the election that happened last week was on affordability. I think tariffs, I would say was one of the main underlying causes, maybe not the only one, but one of the primary causes for the loss.”
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