Republicans Ted Cruz, Rand Paul speak out on risks of Trump tariff policy [View all]

Source: ABC News

April 7, 2025, 4:35 PM


As fallout continues from President Donald Trump's destabilizing tariff policy on virtually all U.S. trading partners, some Republican senators are warning about the risks for American families.

But so far, there are limited signs of any widespread cracks in overall GOP support for Trump or prospects for any congressional attempt to rein him in.

Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and ardent Trump supporter, made headlines when he spoke out -- first on Fox News last week and in recent days on his podcast "Verdict." "Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and I'm not a fan of jacking up taxes on American consumers, so my hope is these tariffs are short-lived, and they serve as leverage to lower tariffs across the globe," Cruz told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow.

Cruz reiterated that point on his podcast, saying it would be a win if the administration used the policy as leverage to quickly negotiate down tariffs imposed by other nations but if it stays in place long term it could increase inflation, hurt job growth and possibly put the U.S. into a recession -- the latter of which Cruz said would result in a "bloodbath" for the Republican Party in the 2026 midterm election.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/republicans-ted-cruz-rand-paul-speak-risks-trump/story?id=120558254