Senate Republicans feel that President Trump has once again pulled the rug out from under them on trade, leaving GOP lawmakers frustrated over their inability to influence the White House’s policy on an issue that could have major economic and electoral ramifications.
Days after a group of Republican senators relayed to Trump at a White House meeting their concerns about trade tensions with Canada, Mexico, Europe and China, Trump over the weekend threatened new tariffs on China, escalating a fight with Beijing and rattling markets.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said after the stock markets closed Monday that higher tariffs on China will take effect Friday, shortly after negotiations with a trade delegation from China are due to resume later this week. Lighthizer’s remarks are likely to rattle markets after they recovered most of their losses Monday afternoon as Wall Street strategists cautioned that Trump’s tough talk is a negotiating tactic and a deal with China is still possible.
The controversy over trade has come amid economic data released recently that demonstrates the U.S. economy is booming, which Republicans will lean into in the 2020 election. But some Republicans are worried that Trump’s actions on trade could boomerang and harm the economy.
News that Trump could impose tariffs on another $200 billion of Chinese goods came as a surprise to Senate Republicans who felt that bellicose posture flew in the face of what senior administration officials had told them about the talks’ progress.
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Trump pulls the rug out from under GOP https://t.co/UBmP494EHk pic.twitter.com/0HIf0bMLSl
— The Hill (@thehill) May 7, 2019
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