Byron Donalds quarrels with CNN host as she claims people will feel ‘pain’ from tariffs

Republican Florida Rep. Byron Donalds sparred with CNN’s Sara Sidner Wednesday as she claimed that President Donald Trump’s upcoming tariffs will cause “pain” to Americans.

Trump plans to impose additional tariffs on various countries to make the U.S. less dependent on foreign goods by Wednesday. As the tariffs loom, the stock market has plummeted to its steepest decline in two years.

As Sidner suggested that these tariffs will hurt Americans economically, Donalds said the tariffs will stimulate the economy in the longterm.

“Are you okay, though, with people feeling pain?” Sidner pressed. “They voted Donald Trump in because they were tired of dealing with the inflation that was there during [former President Joe Biden’s] administration, are you okay with your constituents feeling more pressure and more pain when it comes to the economy as these tariffs are put in place and more retaliatory tariffs are also put in place? Are you okay with pain being put on their shoulders for a while as this all gets worked out?”

“Nobody wants pain for their constituents. I don’t want pain for the people of Florida. But, hold on, you are making an assumption without knowing the details of what the president’s tariff policy is going to be,” Donalds said, leading to immediate pushback from Sidner. “You’re making an assumption, you are making an economic assumption right now. Let’s be very clear. The real pain economically has been the massive inflation coming from bloated spending here in Washington, D.C. That is the real pain the American people have felt for the last four years. What President Trump is trying to do now is bring industries back to the United States.”

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Donalds argued that former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden hurt the economy in the longterm by “subsidizing industries.”

The congressman said while the tariffs may cause a temporary downturn of the economy, American industries and workers will begin to flourish as more jobs are created in the U.S.

“So it’s not so much pain, you might have some temporary adjustments in our economy, but that is for the growth of the American economy longterm, stability and jobs over the longterm for the American people and American workers and that is actually a good way to take our economy as opposed to following the same terrible policies of the previous administration and the Democrats at large of just subsidizing industries and raising the debt of the United States,” Donalds continued.

Trump plans to impose import taxes, including “reciprocal” tariffs to match the rates charged by other countries and account for their subsidies. He notably announced an additional 25% tariffs on imported cars and automobile parts, which is set to take effect Wednesday, in order to return automobile manufacturing to the U.S.

The president announced that he would impose 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, along with 20% tariffs on China, in February due to the countries’ roles in allowing the illegal immigration crisis and the fentanyl epidemic to plague the U.S. The tariffs on Mexico were postponed until Wednesday following a phone call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum, though the tariffs have taken effect in Canada.

Additionally, Trump imposed a 50% tax on Canadian steel and aluminum. He told Fox News’ Laura Ingraham that Canada is one of the “nastiest” countries to negotiate with, accusing the nation of having “ripped” off the U.S. with tariffs on lumber, dairy products and other essential imports.

When Trump first announced his tariff plan, the Mexican president deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexico border, while then-Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau established a Fentanyl Czar in exchange for a pause on the tariffs.

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