Sen. Rand Paul Sunday argued against President Donald Trump's trade tariffs plan, saying that international trade is vital to the U.S. economy and the established levies have kept world markets secure while keeping the country out of wars.
“International trade since World War II has made us phenomenally rich," the Kentucky Republican told radio show host John Catsimatidis on "The Cats Roundtable" on WABC, reported The Hill.
"[Trump] says we've been taken advantage of. But I really strongly disagree because trade has made us so rich and really has made the world a better place," Paul added. "The more we trade … the less we fight."
Trump has announced sweeping tariffs, including 25% measures on foreign-made cars and auto parts that particularly hit China, Japan, and Canada.
The president is urging his senior advisers to take on a more aggressive stance on tariffs, and has often called their scheduled enactment on April 2 the nation's "Liberation Day."
In recent days, Trump has also returned to the idea of a universal tariff that would be applied to most imports, reports The Washington Post. International leaders, meanwhile, are promising to hit back with reciprocal tariffs.
Paul said his constituents in Kentucky oppose the looming trade war and that the tariffs will boost prices for consumers and business owners.
"I live in a state where we have three of the big automobile manufacturers," the senator said. "They’re all opposed to the tariffs, and I think that it would hurt them. The bourbon industry in Kentucky, they don’t like the tariffs. I’ve got farmers, they don’t like the tariffs.
"I really don’t have any organized business interests in my state that think they’re a good idea. This is something that I just disagree with President Trump on."
Other Republicans have spoken out against Trump's call for higher tariffs.
"The Canadian tariffs will definitely have a detrimental impact on the economy of Maine and on border communities in particular," according to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine.
"We have, for example, a major paper mill in northern Maine right on the border that gets its pulp from Canada," she added. "That mill alone, which is by far the biggest employer in the region, employs 510 people directly. I’ve talked to the owner of that mill: The imposition of a 25% tariff could be devastating."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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