Mitch McConnell did not hold back recently when he was asked about the tariffs that Donald Trump has threatened to use.
McConnell, the powerful Kentucky senator, was more than happy to use Donald Trump's power when he was in the White House. Still, it was always clear that the Republican leader thought that Trump was a huckster and a fraud.
One of Trump's major policy proposals is the use of tariffs to better the economy. He has been told that would result in a tax on the American consumer, but that hasn't stopped him. This week, Trump told rallygoers:
"They’ve announced a few days ago that they’re going to move a lot of their manufacturing business to Mexico. I’m just notifying John Deere right now: If you do that, we’re putting a 200% tariff on everything that you want to sell into the United States."
A reporter asked McConnell, "Former President Trump has proposed a 200% tariff on John Deere tractors if they’re made in Mexico. Are you concerned that some of these tariff proposals by the GOP nominee could drive up costs for consumers or hurt bourbon exporters in Kentucky, for example?”
"Yeah, I’m not a fan of tariffs," the Senator responded.“They raise prices for American consumers. I’m more of a free trade kind of Republican that remembers how many jobs are created by the exports that we engage in. And so I’m not a tariff fan."