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

'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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Fox News commentator Harris Faulkner went all in on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's ongoing threat to pull customs officers out of airports in sanctuary cities — a plan that, if enacted, could cause widespread collapse of the national air traffic system and mass flight cancellations.

"The latest DHS list of sanctuary cities includes Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco," said Faulkner. "All of those airports handle 1,100 international flights per day. They're not just gonna not fly. They're going to go to red states and cities. A boon for red states. People will hate living in blue states."

This remark was immediately met with scorn from observers on social media.

"This is idiotic," wrote American Immigration Council senior fellow Aaron Reichlin-Melnick. "No, if you cancel international flights to those cities, they are NOT going to be diverted to red cities. Those airports are already operating near full capacity, and could not even remotely handle the volume! Instead, there would be mass flight cancellations."

"It's really hard to understand how people can be this monumentally stupid," wrote Ron Filipkowski of Meidas Touch. "This will never, ever happen. Flights are not going to be diverted by airlines to red states. Idiocracy."

"Is she always this obtuse?" wrote Harvard Kennedy School professor and national security analyst Juliette Kayyem. "The planes are not going to red states since the blue city airports in red states are already at capacity. The planes will be canceled. And it will become apparent real fast that crashing the economy of blue states will hurt the taker red states more."

"It's not just that people like Harris Faulkner and Markwayne Mullin are evil and extremely stupid," wrote Aaron Rupar of Public Notice. "It's that they are unshakably confident in their brilliance while in fact being evil and extremely stupid."

"Make sure not to tell them about all those critical House races in states like Pennsylvania, New York, California, and Michigan," wrote Greg Sargent of The New Republic.

"I'd bet a lot that this Trump administration 'no flights to New York or Los Angeles' rule won't apply to private jets," wrote former George W. Bush presidential speechwriter David Frum.

"These people are walking, talking head injuries," wrote author and conspiracy theory analyst Mike Rothschild. "Do they really think independent-leaning suburban voters are just not going to fly internationally anymore to own the libs? The GOP lives or dies on the outskirts of major cities, and doing this would be insane."

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The Trump administration's supposed "war on fraud" is benefiting from the support of a group of alleged fraudsters, according to new reporting.

Cuts to Medicaid and raids on daycare centers are part of the president's stated crackdown on fraud, which has been backed by a nonprofit called the State Financial Officers Foundation, according to reporting by The Lever.

State auditors and treasurers are part of the State Financial Officers Foundation, which throws its support behind Trump with reports and statements touting the war on fraud's success, The Lever reported.

However, the nonprofit's board president, Seth Metcalf, is facing corruption allegations, according to The Lever. Metcalf, a former Ohio deputy treasurer, allegedly colluded with board members of the state's teachers' pension fund to direct $65 billion to his investment firm, according to whistleblowers.

An Ohio judge wrote in a February ruling that the pension board members were "mere puppets" of Metcalf, The Lever noted. He reportedly penned documents accusing the pension board of "committing fraud" to pressure them, The Lever added.

Metcalf is also being sued for fraud and mismanagement related to an AI start-up's money, according to The Lever.

Meanwhile, the State Financial Officers Foundation's vice chair, Adam Crum, allegedly misused state funds while working as Alaska's revenue commissioner.

Crum allegedly tried to take $75 million from state reserve funds and invest it in a private equity fund, which a lawmaker described as "gross incompetence" because of the move's high risk, according to The Lever.

He also reportedly gave $8.5 million worth of contracts to a consulting firm that sponsored a glacier cruise for the State Financial Officers Foundation, according to reporting by the Juneau Independent.

Red states have called out the group for exaggerating fraud numbers, too. An independent auditor found that one of the nonprofit's members, who was Florida's chief financial officer, used a DOGE formula to misrepresent hurricane recovery efforts as massive misspending.

Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said one of the nonprofit's claims of fraud was "wildly inflated."

Stephen Colbert's "Late Show" series finale drew 6.7 million viewers, while Byron Allen's replacement program "Comics Unleashed" attracted only 995,000 in its debut on CBS.

The stark ratings disparity underscores the challenge of replacing Colbert, whose show ended following alleged pressure from President Donald Trump on the network's parent company, according to Nielsen data and reports by The Daily Beast. Although CBS cited financial reasons for the cancellation, Colbert and political analysts have suggested Trump's criticism drove the decision.

Late-night competitors Jimmy Kimmel and Jimmy Fallon each drew over 1.5 million viewers the same night "Comics Unleashed" premiered. Even Colbert's YouTube appearance on the public access show "Only in Monroe" garnered 928,000 views, nearly matching Allen's broadcast audience.

Long-time late-night reporter Bill Carter suggested Trump was "personally involved" in Colbert's removal from the network, Fox News reported.

Watch the video below.


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