During a Sunday interview with NewsNation, Sen. Ron Johnson raised concerns about President Donald Trump’s tariff strategy, expressing a desire to understand the commander-in-chief’s “endgame.” “One thing I learned in the private sector is unpredictability can work pretty well in the negotiation, but businesses want certainty,” the Wisconsin Republican stated on “The Hill Sunday” program. “They want stability. They don’t like to see volatility,” he continued. “I’ve just been questioning exactly what’s the endgame here? What’s the strategy?”
Johnson, a three-term conservative lawmaker who is a loyal supporter of Trump, made these comments shortly after Trump temporarily suspended higher “reciprocal” tariffs for select countries. As it stands, Trump’s 10% baseline tariff rate remains effective for most nations. Concurrently, the U.S. is engaged in an escalating trade conflict with China.
Trump announced late Friday that many tech products would be exempted from the China tariffs, but he indicated on Sunday that additional tariffs on tech goods would be implemented in the future. The swift changes in tariff rates have created volatility in the stock and bond markets, leading a number of economists to question the administration’s trade strategy.
Johnson serves on both the Senate Budget and Finance committees and is also a member of the subcommittee on International Trade, Customs, and Global Competitiveness. In his Sunday interview, he identified himself as an “unabashed free trader.” “From my standpoint, I think trade is good,” he remarked. “You obtain goods from people that have a comparative advantage of producing those particular goods, and you sell them things where we have the comparative advantage.”
However, Johnson acknowledged that tariffs can have their merits. “I can understand that there could be some good uses for tariffs,” he noted. “President Trump has proven that, for example, when he threatened Mexico with tariffs if they wouldn’t cooperate with ‘Remain in Mexico.’ That helped secure the border.”
“So there’s certainly a use for it, but tariffs are a double-edged sword and a pretty blunt instrument,” he added.
Johnson emphasized that he prefers not to use tariffs as a means to increase federal revenue. “You raise revenue by growing your economy, having a simplified and rational tax system that incentivizes economic growth — not just slapping on higher tax rates or engaging in a massive trade war that obviously has disrupted and scared the markets,” he concluded.
