Former President Donald Trump has warned that he would not need Congress in order to impose tariffs on imports into the United States.
“I’d rather get their support,” Trump said Monday, after claiming he could enact his 10 to 20 percent tax on goods without help from those on the Hill.
Economists on the left and right have warned that the plan, meant to target countries the Republican presidential nominee claims have been “ripping us off”, would adversely affect U.S. consumers and businesses.
At an event with farmers in Pennsylvania, a crucial swing state in the 2024 presidential election, the GOP nominee was asked about claims that tariffs would drive up consumer costs.
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump, (L) speaks on during a campaign stop to address Pennsylvanians who are concerned about the threat of Communist China to U.S. agriculture at the Smith Family Farm September 23, 2024 in Smithton, Pennsylvania. Trump, shown with former New York Republican Representative Lee Zeldin, is campaigning throughout western Pennsylvania today.
AFP/Getty Images
“They’ll approve it,” Trump cut the reporter off. “I don’t need Congress, but they will approve it.
“I’ll have the right to impose them myself if they don’t. I’d rather get their support, the ones who understand business do support it,” the former president continued at the campaign event in Smithton, Pennsylvania.
Some have warned the tariff would effectively be the equivalent of a national sales tax, while U.S. companies may suffer as the countries subjected to the higher costs would potentially impose their own charges.
Trump has argued that by introducing these fees, U.S. companies will have an advantage over those from overseas, while also touting more jobs for Americans.
“If the idea is to expand domestic production of goods so as to benefit U.S. workers, not much expansion can be achieved in an economy such as the U.S. that is close to full employment,” Professor Barbara Spencer, who used to teach strategy and business at the University of British Columbia, told Newsweek in August.
“Any attempt at a major domestic expansion will instead increase inflationary pressures. Also, an objective to enhance U.S. exports is likely to fail. By raising U.S. costs, the tariffs will generally make U.S. exports less competitive.”
Trump’s determination to push the policy forward did not appear to be doing him any favors with voters, who were seen to be turning towards Vice President Kamala Harris in new polling out over the weekend.
The Democratic nominee had cut the New York business mogul’s lead on the economy in half, NBC News reported, while nearly 40 economists recently endorsed her over Trump.
The former President reportedly believes that he can deliver promised tax cuts for Americans while imposing tariffs, which will generate federal income instead.
“Under dealmaker President Trump, American farmers, manufacturers, and auto workers got the best trade deals in history, and he will once again put America First when we send him back to the White House,” Republican National Committee spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement released via email on Monday afternoon.
Trump’s claim on Monday that he does not need Congress to make these changes might not be so easy to prove. As The Washington Post reported earlier this year, the Constitution awards Congress, not the President, power over taxation and regulations on foreign commerce.
Newsweek reached out to the Trump campaign via email Monday afternoon for clarification on how these proposals would be enacted.
This is a developing news story and will be updated with more information.
