The Democrats aren’t going to be happy. This is the last thing they wanted to hear.
And a Democrat Senator has betrayed their party after making this admission about Donald Trump.
Trump’s Tariff Triumphs Stir Debate Among Lawmakers
In a surprising nod to President Donald Trump’s trade policies, Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman has praised the administration’s tariff strategy, declaring the U.S. trade war is “going well.” Speaking to Fox News Digital, Fetterman confidently affirmed, “Absolutely,” when asked if Trump’s team is winning on trade.
Referencing political commentator Bill Maher, he noted, “I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher, and I mean, I think he’s really one of the oracles for my party, and he acknowledged it, it’s like, hey, he thought that the tariffs were going to tank the economy, and then he acknowledged that it didn’t.”
Fetterman added, “So, for me, it seems like the E.U. thing has been going well, and I guess we’ll see how it happens with China.”
Trump has ramped up his tariff agenda with bold moves. On Thursday, he signed an executive order hiking the tariff on Canada from 25% to 35%, effective Friday, to push Canada to stem the flow of fentanyl and other illicit drugs into the U.S.
The White House framed this as a step to hold Canada accountable. Another executive order adjusted reciprocal tariff rates with select countries to address persistent U.S. trade deficits, aiming for “fair, balanced and reciprocal trade relationships,” according to the White House.
Since April 9, when Trump imposed a 10% tariff across all countries and higher rates for those with significant trade deficits, the U.S. has clinched major deals. The European Union agreed to buy $750 billion in U.S. energy and invest $600 billion by 2028, as well as accepting a 15% tariff rate.
Japan followed suit, committing $550 billion to bolster U.S. industries and opening its markets to American exports, also agreeing to a 15% tariff.
Yet, many Democrats remain wary. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed cautioned that “within a few weeks or months, you’ll start seeing significant increases in most things you buy. And also, you will see disruption in terms of a lot of our industries, because they’re not able to access product or supply.”
Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen warned, “When you have across-the-board tariffs, it does operate like a national sales tax, and I think people are going to be more and more hurt.” He added, “This is the president who said he was going to come in and reduce prices. Prices are going to rise, and they’re going to rise more over time.”
Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns about global repercussions, stating, “Donald Trump may beat his chest and say, ‘Man, I made him take a 15% tariff or 25% tariff,’ but also understand that every one of those trading partners is now looking hard all around the rest of the world to find other customers, because Donald Trump is signaling loud and clear that the United States under Donald Trump is not a reliable trading partner. And that’s not good for any of us.”
She also tied tariffs to economic strain, claiming, “Jerome Powell said last month that he would have lowered interest rates back in February if it hadn’t been for the chaos that Donald Trump was creating over trade.”
“And the consequence has been that American families have, for six months now, been paying more on credit cards, more on car loans, more home mortgages, all because Donald Trump has created chaos.”
Republicans, however, are doubling down on support. Texas Senator Ted Cruz, speaking with Fox News Digital, called the strategy “exactly the right approach,” asserting, “I think the successes he’s winning are big wins for America.”
Responding to Democratic skepticism, Cruz quipped, “I’m shocked, shocked that Democrats are rooting for the economy to do badly under President Trump.” He urged Democrats to “put their partisan hatred for Trump aside and actually start working together for American workers and American jobs.”
Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, while supportive, advocated for reciprocal zero percent tariffs, saying, “Clearly, the president got a good deal from one perspective. The Europeans just caved, they did. Fifteen percent tariffs on them, zero on us, commitment to invest in our country. But the part of the deal I like the most, the E.U. and the president agreed that a whole bunch of goods would be tariff-free. That is, no American tariffs and no E.U. tariffs. It’s called reciprocity, and ideal reciprocity is zero on both sides.”
Kennedy added, “That’s what I would like us to achieve in all the trade deals. Let the free enterprise system work. May the best product at the best price win. That, to me, would be the perfect situation.”
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