Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) signaled support for President Donald Trump’s tariffs against China, Mexico, and Canada over the weekend.
Schmitt made the remarks during a Sunday interview on NBC News’ “Meet The Press” when asked why Trump was leveling harder tariffs against Canada than China.
“All we have to do is look at President Trump’s first four years where he instituted tariffs,” Schmitt said. “We didn’t see inflation. In fact, we saw record wage growth. We saw $200 billion plus go into the Treasury from those tariffs. Tariffs that help even the playing field with countries who have been ripping us off, quite frankly, for generations. China, specifically. I think the American people are tired of being ripped off.”
“They’re tired of seeing their jobs go overseas,” he continued. “But I think these tariffs specifically, Kristen, are meant to bring Canada and Mexico to the table for the fentanyl that is streaming into our communities. It’s also worth noting, in the last four years, that the trade imbalance and our trade deficit has gone up 200% plus with Canada and up 52% with Mexico.”
“The fact is, these countries are taking advantage of us,” he added. “All along the while, we’ve got fentanyl streaming into our country. So Mexico has a choice. They can choose to trade with the United States or continue to cozy up with the cartels. It’s pretty simple.”
WATCH:
Mexico has a choice: they can choose to trade with the United States or continue to cozy up with the cartels. It’s pretty simple, pic.twitter.com/U1yBWEaVP7
— Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) February 2, 2025
