Slotkin slams 'reckless' approach to tariffs: 'I just want a scalpel and not a sledgehammer'
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) said Sunday that most Democrats don't oppose tariffs altogether, but she criticized President Trump's approach as "reckless."
"Most of us aren't against tariffs, full stop, right? I think tariffs are an important tool in the tool kit. I think just the way he's handling tariffs is the way he's handling everything else right now," Slotkin said in an interview on NBC News's "Meet the Press," when asked whether she supports using tariffs to bring manufacturing jobs back to her state of Michigan.
“We want change,” she continued. “But there's reckless change, and then there's responsible change. And the way that he's on again, off again, you know, pounding Canada as if they're the exact same thing as China, it just creates this chaotic feeling.”
Slotkin criticized the tariffs targeting Canada, noting the neighbor to the north is the state’s top market for farmers selling goods.
“So I'm not against it in principle, especially against China. But Canadians? I mean, as the state, you know, for our farmers, that's our No. 1 market is Canada. So I just want a scalpel and not a sledgehammer for these things,” she said.
After months of threats, Trump's 25 percent tariffs went into effect last week against America's neighbors to the north, marking a turning point in the relationship between the U.S. and two of its top trading partners.
But days later, Trump signed off on tariff exemptions for most imports from Canada and Mexico, delaying their implementation until April 2. At that point, the president plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on foreign nations with duties on U.S. imports.
Despite the extension, the tariff threats are having economic impacts in the U.S. and elsewhere, and they’ve been met with strong pushback. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau slammed the tariff plan as “a very dumb thing to do.”
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