'Decimated for 60 years': GOP senator warns tariff backlash has dearly cost Republicans

ALSO READ: Black Sun Rising: How a Nazi terror plot led to an American being held in Brazil

'Decimated for 60 years': GOP senator warns tariff backlash has dearly cost Republicans
U.S. President Donald Trump gestures as he delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria

A Republican senator all but begged President Donald Trump on Wednesday to back off his key economic policy — widespread tariffs.

President Donald Trump enacted new tariffs Wednesday, announcing at a Rose Garden speech a baseline 10 percent tariff on all imports from every country, effective Saturday. Trump also announced reciprocal tariffs targeting specific countries, such as 34% on China and 20% on the European Union, which will go into effect on April 9.

The measures are part of what Trump called "Liberation Day," which has has said will combat trade imbalances and protect U.S. industries.

ALSO READ: 'Not much I can do': GOP senator gives up fight against Trump's tariffs

A previously announced 25% tariff on foreign-made vehicles will take effect Thursday.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) called the tariffs a "terrible idea" — and warned Republicans have a fraught history with them.

"Tariffs with Canada threaten us with recession," he said. "I mean, it's a terrible, terrible idea. And I think we're going to win the vote today; over half the Senate is going to vote against these tariffs."

When a reporter asked Paul his thoughts on Trump's remarks that any Republican who opposes tariffs looks weak and is siding with the Democrats, Paul said he believes it's the "opposite."

"I think it shows strength of character. That we are for something that is so much more to important economic, really orthodoxy, that tariffs are bad for the country. But it's not only that they're bad economically; historically, tariffs have decimated the Republican Party that supported them."

That includes the GOP in 1890, which supported tariffs and lost nearly half their seats, from 171 to just 88. The same happened in 1930, when the Republicans lost 52 seats in the House and eight in the Senate, largely due to voter dissatisfaction with their handling of the Great Depression.

"They were decimated for 60 years. The Republicans did not control the House or the Senate for 60 years after the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. So I would argue that tariffs, particularly at least for recession, are devastating politically," he said.


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Trump admin handed big Supreme Court loss over National Guard deployment in Chicago

The Trump administration was handed a big Supreme Court loss Tuesday over deploying National Guard troops in Chicago.

The High Court ruled that Trump and his administration lacked the authority to federalize and deploy the National Guard to enforce laws in Illinois.

“At this preliminary stage, the government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the court wrote in the unsigned order.

Three far-right justices dissented from the opinion: Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch.

"This is a rare ruling against the Trump administration," CNN's Joan Biskupic reported.

The ruling stemmed from Trump's order to deploy the National Guard to Illinois to protect ICE agents, CNN reported. It could have an impact on other cases in other cities where the Trump administration has pushed to bring troops.

"This now brings to light another ground that the challengers can invoke," Biskupic added.

The National Guard can no longer deploy to the Broadview, Illinois ICE detention center.

The move signals new scrutiny from the Supreme Court.

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'This is outrageous and a devastating failure': Analyst calls out DOJ over Epstein files

A Democratic strategist Tuesday called out the Department of Justice for its handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.

Mike Nellis, founder and chief strategy officer of Authentic, described the disappointment surrounding the case and lack of justice for Epstein survivors.

He wrote the following on X:

"All the drama around these Epstein file drops aside, it’s clear the DOJ—under multiple presidents—never took this case seriously. You cannot convince me that with hundreds of documented victims, virtually no one will be held accountable. Trump or otherwise, this is outrageous and a devastating failure of the rule of law in this country."

The DOJ claimed Tuesday that they were seeking a handwriting analysis after a message allegedly sent by Epstein to another notorious sex offender apparently suggested the implication of Donald Trump. The letter, postmarked Aug. 13, 2019, three days after Epstein died in federal custody, to former U.S. gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar, who was convicted of sexually abusing scores of young gymnasts, alleges that Trump shared their "love of young, nubile girls."

Epstein was found dead in his cell Aug. 10, 2019, and his death was ruled a suicide. The letter was eventually marked "return to sender," according to an FBI request for a handwriting analysis that was also released Monday in a new batch of files disclosed by the Department of Justice.

Epstein operated an extensive sex trafficking operation targeting underage girls for over a decade, exploited his wealth, connections and status to recruit, groom and abuse victims while evading serious legal consequences for years. Epstein's trafficking network involved recruiting vulnerable young women and girls, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, and subjecting them to sexual abuse at his Manhattan mansion, Palm Beach estate, and private island, with evidence suggesting he received assistance from accomplices including his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell in facilitating the exploitation and abuse of his victims.

'Damaging': Economists warn Trump is about to upend the 'crown jewel' of US healthcare

A slew of economists, including ones aligned with President Donald Trump, spoke out on Tuesday, warning that the president is about to upend the "crown jewel" of the U.S. health care system, according to a new report.

Multiple economists spoke to Fox News on Tuesday, saying that Trump's plan to create a government price cap for medications could have unintended consequences. Trump announced his plan, called TrumpRX, last week. It includes $150 billion in new investments from nine drug companies and a mechanism to steer consumers to buy lower-priced drugs directly from manufacturers, Fox News reported.

Economists told the outlet that the move could raise costs in other parts of the supply chain, which would cause the idea to miss its goal.

"At the most basic level, government price setting only limits what patients pay for a drug — usually reflected in an out-of-pocket or co-insurance payment," Michael Baker, director of healthcare policy at the American Action Forum, told Fox News. "This does nothing to address the overall cost of the drug, which someone still has to pay, nor does it lower the cost associated with development."

"Patients will experience far less of the crown jewel of the U.S. healthcare system that they are currently accustomed to receiving," Baker added.

Even economists at the Trump-aligned Heritage Foundation sounded off against the policy.

"The kind of government price controls that are most damaging to innovation are ones that limit the initial price a company can charge for a new product. That is the situation in some countries, but fortunately not yet in the United States," Ed Haislmaier, an expert in healthcare policy and markets at The Heritage Foundation, told the outlet.

Read the entire report by clicking here.

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