Pelosi’s finally being exposed. Her actions are coming back to bite her.
And this unearthed video of Nancy Pelosi has caused Congress to break out in hysterics.
A Blast from the Past: Nancy Pelosi’s 1996 Tariff Talk Resurfaces Amid Trump’s Trade War
A nearly three-decade-old video of Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has erupted across social media, drawing attention for its striking parallels to President Donald Trump’s latest tariff moves. Filmed on the House floor in June 1996, the clip captures a fiery Pelosi pressing Congress to push back against China’s lopsided trade practices—words that feel eerily familiar in today’s tariff-charged climate.
Back then, Pelosi didn’t mince words as she called out the imbalance in U.S.-China trade. She rallied her fellow lawmakers to ditch the “status quo” policies that she blamed for ballooning America’s trade deficit with China.
Zooming in on tariffs, she laid out a stark contrast: “In terms of tariffs, it’s interesting to note that the average U.S. MFN [Most Favored Nation] tariff on Chinese goods coming into the United States is two percent, whereas the average MFN tariff on U.S. goods going into China is 35 percent.” With a pointed question—“Is that reciprocal?”—she drove home her frustration.
Pelosi didn’t stop there. She painted the trade relationship as a disaster for American workers, dubbing it a “job loser.” She argued, “In terms of jobs, this is the biggest and cruelest hoax of all. Not only do we not have market access, not only do they have prohibitive tariffs, not only are our exports not let in very specifically, but China benefits with at least, at least, 10 million jobs from U.S.-China trade.”
Meanwhile, she noted, the U.S. was scraping by with just 170,000 jobs from the deal. “The fact is that U.S.-China trade is a job loser,” she declared.
WATCH:
A 1996 video resurfaces of Nancy Pelosi discussing tariffs and the trade deficit with China.pic.twitter.com/z5i6IGnvmZ
— Thomas Sowell Quotes (@ThomasSowell) April 3, 2025
Fast forward to April 2025, and this vintage Pelosi rant is making waves again—just as Trump rolls out a fresh wave of reciprocal tariffs targeting China and beyond. In his “Liberation Day” address from the White House Rose Garden this week, Trump touted the measures as a long-overdue fix for global trade imbalances.
“For decades, the United States slashed trade barriers on other countries, while those nations placed massive tariffs on our products and created outrageous non-monetary barriers to decimate our industries,” he said.
His plan? Slap a 20% tariff on the European Union (which charges the U.S. 39%), 24% on Japan (versus its 46% on the U.S.), and 34% on China (compared to its hefty 67% on American goods).
Ironically, Pelosi—once a vocal critic of China’s tariff edge—now leads the charge against Trump’s approach. Taking to X, she blasted his policy: “Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs will cause chaos in our economy, raise prices for consumers and hurt hardworking American families. This is not a strategy — it’s the largest tax hike on the American people in history.”
Her stance reflects a wider shift among Democrats, who’ve largely lined up to oppose Trump’s trade war redux.
Donald Trump’s reckless tariffs will cause chaos in our economy, raise prices for consumers and hurt hardworking American families.
This is not a strategy — it’s the largest tax hike on the American people in history.
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) April 2, 2025
But Pelosi isn’t the only one with a tariff tale resurfacing. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., recently tweeted a jab at Trump’s plans: “Not surprisingly, Trump’s overall tax and tariff proposals would make the very rich much richer and working families poorer. If you earn less than $360,000 a year, your taxes are going to go way up. If you’re in the top 1%? Don’t worry. You’ll save big.”
Yet a 2008 clip reveals a different Sanders—one railing against the U.S. government’s failure to protect jobs with tariffs. On the Senate floor, he mocked the idea of “unfettered free trade,” sarcastically quipping, “What we need is to allow corporate America the freedom – the freedom – to throw American workers out on the street, people who are making $15, $20, $25 an hour, healthcare pensions – throw them out on the street – because somehow, Madame President, we are going to create wealth in America and good paying jobs in America as we shut down plants, we move to China.”
As Trump’s tariffs spark debate, these throwback clips of Pelosi and Sanders reveal a tangled history of trade rhetoric—one that’s now clashing head-on with their party’s current playbook.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
