The American People who voted for Donald Trump earlier this month thinking he had a plan to reduce prices may be about to get a rude awakening.
Instead of telling his allies in Congress to support a border security bill earlier in the year because he wanted the immigration issue to run on during the campaign, Mr. Trump has stated that he plans to raise tariffs on Mexico and Canada 25 percent and China ten percent if they do not stop migrants from crossing the border and stemming the flow of fentanyl into the United States.
Never mind that leading Arizonans like Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, Senator Mark Kelly, and Senator-Elect Ruben Gallego have pointed out that the bipartisan border security bill that Mr. Trump torpedoed for political reasons would have accomplished at less costs to the American People than what the soon to be 47th President proposes to do by raising tariffs.
Readers should remember that Republicans have continually stymied attempts at Bipartisan Immigration Reform over the last twenty years.
Why voters did not recognize that in the last elections is a mystery.
Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, is not taking too kindly to Mr. Trump’s tariff threats, threatening to impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if he follows through on his plans.
The only individuals who will be hurt if these tariffs go into effect are Arizonans and the rest of the American People, who will see the cost of goods skyrocket.
Responding to requests for comment from the Blog, both of Arizona’s new Legislative Democratic leaders offered their assessment of Trump’s proposed price hike on the Arizonans and the American People.
Incoming State Senate Democratic Leader Priya Sundareshan wrote:
“Donald Trump’s policies have never been about protecting working-class Americans against those who seek to profit off of them, and his plan to increase tariffs on goods from Mexico and China will disproportionately harm businesses and consumers in Arizona. Arizona Democrats reject such misguided policies that will make Arizonans pay more for food and other goods.”
Incoming State House Leader Oscar De Los Santos stated:
“Trump’s plan to spark a retaliatory tariff war with our largest trading partners will be a disaster for Arizona. Consumers will pay higher prices for everything from fuel, cars, produce, and alcohol. At the same time, products made here will become harder to sell as Mexico, Canada, and China respond with tariffs of their own, which will cost jobs. We export over $9 billion in products to Mexico alone, which supports more than 110,000 Arizona jobs (per DATOS). Voters in November expressed frustration over high prices and inflation. Republicans wreaking havoc in our economy to satisfy the ego of Donald Trump will hurt working-class Arizonans and those already struggling to make ends meet the most.”
So much for Mr. Trump’s promises to reduce costs for the American People.
Add that to the many lies he has uttered over the last eight years.
It is not like the Harris/Walz Campaign and their allies did not warn that this would happen.
As Sundareshan and De Los Santos said, all these tariffs would do is reignite inflation and throw the economy into a ditch.
Maybe Trump should finally tell his people to pass the Border Security Bill he torpedoed earlier in the year. That would really help border security. Not his tariffs. But that would mean actually solving the issue. Does Trump and his MAGA Republicans know how to do that?
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