Brit Hume said on Fox News Monday that the Republican Party may rally voters next year around a robust economic plan to counterbalance the tariff policies currently in place.
U.S. stocks experienced a significant drop on Friday, continuing a downward trend after President Donald Trump announced new tariffs, leading to the steepest market decline since June 2020. During an appearance on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” Hume discussed the new tax.
“I think it will add impetus, Bret, for them to do something. The votes are close, but they will need to do this. They’ll need the tax cuts, the spending cuts, and the big, beautiful bill the president talks about to give them something to take home with them for next year,” Hume told Baier when asked if he believes such a bill could indeed rally Republican voters, especially those feeling the economic pinch from tariffs. “The hope, of course, is that the effect of those will offset some of the effect of these tariffs in the near term, for sure. ”
Voters will decide on 468 seats in the U.S. Congress, including 33 Senate seats and all 435 House seats, on Nov. 3, 2026. With congressional elections more than a year and a half away, Republicans are under pressure.
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“So all these wondrous benefits that we’re hearing about, new factories in the United States, a return to manufacturing jobs, that all will take time. Republicans on Capitol Hill, particularly those in the House of Representatives, don’t have a lot of time,” Hume said. “They’ve got an election coming up next year, and if the negative effects of the near term, which the administration admits are real, are still in place and the benefits haven’t come yet, you can see why they’re worried.”
As for the tariffs and where they will take the country, Hume said things are “a little unclear at this point.”
“And I think some of the worry is about what the main purpose of the tariffs is. If it is, as Scott Bessent is suggesting, to negotiate more favorable terms with other countries, in which event the tariffs would be lifted, that’s one thing,” Hume said.
On the other hand, if the intent behind the tariffs is to leverage better trade terms that could lead to their removal, the strategy may shift. (RELATED: ‘The Real Villain’: Steve Moore Identifies Who Made The Market Tank Friday And Why)
“But if it is, as the president sometimes, and Peter Navarro, his economic aide and tariff supporter argues all the time, it’s going to bring in trillions in dollars of revenue. That suggests that the tariffs are here to stay,” Hume said. “And it’s not entirely clear which purpose is the main one. And that leads to a situation where I think people are worried about the economy because of uncertainty, dipping. Tariffs do raise prices. They tend to suppress economic activity.”
Since returning to the White House, Trump has initiated strategic trade negotiations with multiple countries such as Mexico, China, and Canada. During his first term, he introduced various trade policies targeting China, which sparked trade discussions between the U.S. and China.
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