(NewsNation) — President Donald Trump’s reciprocal tariffs will be a “bold and risky” move, Sen. Ron Johnson said Thursday on “NewsNation Now.”
“Tariffs are a double-edged sword,” Johnson said. “But this is something he fervently believes in and has felt this way for a long time.”
On Wednesday, which the president has called “Liberation Day,” Trump put tariffs on a large number of foreign nations. A majority of those have been set at half the tariffs those countries have put on goods from the U.S. A 10% baseline was placed on all countries where reciprocal tariffs were not specified.
Trump has promised that tariffs will bring about “the golden age of America,” but economists have warned that a recession could happen.
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Some lawmakers believe the tariffs have gone too far. On Wednesday, Republican Senators Rand Paul and Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska voted with Democrats to undo Trump’s 25% tariffs on Canadian imports.
Johnson said he voted against undoing the tariffs and accused Democrats of trying to damage Trump.
“I want to see the president succeed,” Johnson said.
Johnson said since the announcement, he has heard about commitments to trillion-dollar investments in the U.S. and countries dropping their tariffs, which he said Trump and his advisers see as benefits despite some short-term impacts.
“I hope they’re right,” Johnson said.
