Progressive Case for Tariffs Amid Fallout From Trump's Policies
By Andrew Stanton
President Donald Trump's tariff policy has sparked fierce criticism from Democrats, but progressives have argued for the strategic use of tariffs in the past.
Why It Matters
China faces 145 percent tariffs from the U.S. amid an escalating trade war with the Trump administration, which economists say could lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers. Last week, Trump announced so called "reciprocal tariffs" against dozens of countries but has since placed them on a 90-day pause following market backlash.
The divide over tariffs hasn't been just Democrat versus Republican, as there have been some intraparty splits about whether they are the right economic policy for the U.S. Some progressives have previously supported some tariffs, though many still disagree with Trump's implementation.
Democrats now face a question about how they plan to respond to the tariffs in a way to win over swing voters in industrial areas of battlegrounds like Pennsylvania while not alienating their base.
What To Know
Senator Bernie Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with Democrats, is among those progressives who have previously voiced support for tariffs but said in a statement he disagrees with Trump's policies.
"I understand that we need trade policies that benefit American workers, not just large corporations," he wrote. "Targeted tariffs can be a powerful tool to stop corporations from outsourcing American jobs. They can help level the playing field for American autoworkers or steelworkers to compete fairly against companies who have moved production to countries where they can pay starvation wages."
Progressive Case for Tariffs
The Progressive Case for Tariffs Amid Fallout from Trump's Policies Photo-illustration by Newsweek/Getty
However, he knocked Trump's "chaotic" tariffs against countries like France and Germany as doing nothing to bring jobs back to the U.S.
"Trump's blanket tariffs will just raise prices for American consumers and hurt our relationships with allies, undermining our global position," he wrote.
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Todd N. Tucker, a political scientist with the Roosevelt Institute, told Newsweek on Thursday that progressives have supported tariffs to build up strategic industries and counter unfair trade practices. They have also opposed some trade agreements over concerns about labor, environmental and consumer protections.
"Trump's tariffs do not target any of these corporate abuses," he said. "Instead, they simply raise prices, while Trump's other policies—like gutting Biden's labor protections or clean energy subsidies—will weaken workers and manufacturing."
Zephyr Teachout, a professor at Fordham Law School, told Newsweek that Trump's tariffs are "a wholesale chaotic disaster," but that "finance wants to use Trump's awful tariffs as stand ins for *all* tariffs, which would be really stupid."
"If we want to develop and support innovative 21st-century manufacturing in America because it's good for communities, for high-quality [union!] jobs, and because we need to ensure that we aren't so overly dependent on other countries for national security and for national autonomy—see the fragility that COVID revealed," she said.
She pointed to the CHIPS Act being complemented by tariffs as an example of how the policy can be used successfully but noted that "the beginning of the manufacturing revival that smartly used tariffs is in deep jeopardy" now that Trump has returned to office.
Ian Hurd, professor of political science and director of the Weinberg College Center for International and Area Studies at Northwestern University, told Newsweek that tariffs are useful for raising revenue and, when applied selectively, raising the cost of some goods and encouraging people to buy something cheaper instead.
"These measures need to be made carefully so that consumers have an incentive to buy the goods you want them to buy, which stimulates the industries that you want to encourage," he said. "But few governments decide to tax all imports. That is a foolish policy since it only has the effect of making everything more expensive. It doesn't help the government steer spending from one kind of product to another; it simply makes everything that much more expensive."
Some Labor Unions Back Tariffs
Some labor unions, a key cornerstone of the Democratic coalition for decades that have recently shifted toward Trump, are embracing his tariffs. Shawn Fain, president of United Auto Workers (UAW) union, who has supported Democrats, is among the labor leaders who backs some the tariffs.
"All you have to do is look at the history of the United States, especially in auto manufacturing in the last 30 years, with the inception of NAFTA [North American Free Trade Agreement] and unfair trade laws," he said on CBS News' Face the Nation.
"We've seen over 90,000 manufacturing facilities leave the United States. We've seen—in the Big Three [General Motors, Stellantis and Ford] alone, in the last 20-plus years, 65 plants have closed."
Kara Deniz—assistant director of communications for the Teamsters, which did not endorse in last year's election—previously told Newsweek that many of its members view tariffs as beneficial to bringing back union jobs.
Democrats Divided Over Tariff Messaging
Democrats aren't all seeing eye-to-eye on tariffs.
Representative Chris Deluzio, a Pennsylvania Democrat representing areas near Pittsburgh, faced criticism from some in the party after the House Democrats shared a video of him explaining how some in the party believe there is a place for strategic tariffs in their economic policy, though he still disagrees with Trump's tariffs.
"I think a wrong-for-decades consensus in Washington on 'free trade' has been a race to the bottom," he said. "It's hollowed out our industrial power, cost us good jobs. The president's tariff announcement though, his trade strategy has been chaotic. It's been inconsistent. We should not treat our economic allies like Canada the same as trade cheats like communist China."
He added that tariffs need to be used "in sectors that make sense" and must be paired "with real, meaning industrial policies."
Some Democrats took issue with his message.
"The Democratic Party's humiliation fetish is so aggressive that I often find myself thinking: 'This is a parody account, right?'" activist Cameron Kasky said.
Tucker told Newsweek that progressives, moving forward, need to center their position on trade issues based on "long-standing values" rather than a "pure reaction to what Trump is doing on any given day."
"After all, as we've seen, what he is doing shifts rapidly back and forth, and progressives already have a trust deficit with the public, who often tell us that they don't know what progressives stand for," he said.
What People Are Saying
Representative Pramila Jayapal, a Washington Democrat, during an interview on KUOW last week: "I do think it's important to say all tariffs are not bad. They are an important tool. They can be used strategically to encourage domestic manufacturing."
Democratic strategist Charlotte Clymer to Politico: "Trying to offer nuance on Trump's disastrous tariffs policy in this moment is like telling someone with alcohol poisoning: you know, red wine in moderation is actually good for heart health. It's missing the point. It's bad messaging."
What Happens Next
Economists say Trump's steep China tariffs could make consumer goods more expensive for Americans. However, markets rebounded a bit after Trump paused the tariffs on other countries, which will give more time to negotiate new trade deals.
During a Cabinet meeting, Trump told reporters that if he is unable to reach favorable deals with U.S. trading partners, the tariffs will revert to higher rates once the pause expires. But he also declined to rule out an extension of the deadline.
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