Senate Republicans are praising President Donald Trump’s announcement of a pause on certain reciprocal tariffs to most countries that did not issue retaliatory tariffs.
Trump announced Wednesday afternoon that he authorized a 90-day pause on tariffs on more than 75 countries that did not retaliate against the United States, while keeping in place his 10% baseline tariffs. Republican Senators applauded the president’s pause announcement as a good opportunity for the administration to negotiate with countries around the world to lower their trade barriers.
“I don’t consider it to be a pause, I consider it to be a declaration of victory,” Republican Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy told reporters Wednesday shortly after Trump’s announcement. “No person with an IQ that’s greater than his age or her age can think that half of the world’s country would have come to the American people and say ‘we want to lower our trade barriers’ had President Trump not done what he did.”
“Trump haters will not like that,” Kennedy said. “But that’s just a natural fact.”
Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has sought to rein in the president’s ability to unilaterally impose tariffs without congressional approval, also approved of Trump’s decision to pause tariffs.
Trump also announced a tariff hike on China to 125% “effective immediately.” This came after China raised tariffs on American imports from 34% to 84% overnight.
“At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A, and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post announcing the tariff pause on most countries and tariff hike on China.
“It’s obvious I like what President Trump did,” Republican Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville told reporters. “Pause it, give countries a chance to come in and negotiate with him and his team. Keep hammering China.”
“They don’t want to talk — find out how big a boy they are,” Tuberville added. “It’s good to see other countries coming in, negotiating — over 70 of them now.”
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday the Trump administration will seek trade deals with American allies to lower tariffs on U.S. imports in the coming weeks.
Senate Republicans also lauded Trump’s decision to raise tariffs on China, who has pledged to “fight to the end” in the escalating trade war with the United States.
“China needs to be treated differently,” Republican Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt told reporters. “China is the most unfair place in the world. They rip off our IP. They have trade barriers. They have tariffs. China is making a huge mistake in isolating this.”
“The goal is to level the playing field through America throughout the world, to have tariffs be the same and to deal with non-tariff trade barriers,” Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham told reporters Wednesday. “I can’t think of a better person to negotiate with China to get a good deal with America than Donald Trump.”
Trump’s tariff pause announcement sent U.S. stocks rallying to one of their best days in years.
“I’m very happy that he [Trump] did it,” Kennedy told reporters. “I’m not as happy as the stock market or the bond market.”
Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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