‘A Big Divide There’: Semafor Reporter Says GOP Is Deeply Split On Trump’s Tariffs, Terrified He Could ‘Wreck the Economy’

CNN’s Manu Raju discussed President-elect Donald Trump’s threats of tariffs against Mexico and Canada with his panel on Thursday, which included Semafor congressional bureau chief Burgess Everett. Everett highlighted the “big divide” in the GOP between Trump’s more protectionist, isolationist wing of the party and the veteran Republican lawmakers who are staunch free traders.

Raju began the discussion by noting, “One of those things, this conversation with the Mexican president saying on Truth Social, of course, that she had agreed to effectively close our southern border. That’s not what she said she agreed to.”

“But just a reminder of where things are on the issue of border crossings, illegal border crossings. They’re actually down significantly since really since the height of it back late last year in December, all the way down through now, a lot of it stemming from Biden’s executive orders that came as a result of a lot of pressure and the failure to act in Congress. But this is classic Trump, right? He’s going to claim victory, even if victory had happened before he did anything,” Raju explained.

Everett replied, “Not only that, but these are like the two. If you could look at the two significant issues for Donald Trump. He vacillates on a lot of policy issues, but the border and tariffs are not those issues and tariffs. He has been consistent.”

“He’s been saying it since 1990, 2000 and the like!” interjected Raju.

“Right. And during his first presidency, we saw that he would follow through on them, not only on other countries like China, but on allies in Europe with the steel and aluminum tariffs. So when he threatens these things, people have to take him seriously. Now, even if members of his own party want him to use them as leverage rather than follow through,” Everett added.

“I mean, do you expect much pushback from Republicans on the tariffs? I mean, this is supposed to be a party of free traders. This used to be the Bush policy that pushed for free trade policies, obviously much different now. But where when you talking to Republicans on the Hill, they’re going to be pushback on this?” Raju followed up.

“I mean, the party has changed, but it’s a party in transition, especially in the Senate, where you and I spend a lot of our time. These folks were around, many of them in Congress 20 years ago. They are still free traders, a lot of them. So there’s a big divide there,” Everett replied, adding:

And I think at this point, Trump’s not president yet. It’s kind of unclear whether he’s going to follow through on these tariffs right away. So what Republicans are going to say as well, he’s just using this for a negotiating position. He’s just using this for leverage to stem border crossings, stem fentanyl coming into the country.

But we also know he’ll follow through on that. And I don’t think Republicans want him to, because that’s probably the biggest opening for Democrats politically, is if Trump, like Eva was talking about, his actions and raising prices start to wreck the economy, things like that, that that’s what could turn the fortunes around for the Democratic Party a lot more than these moments of introspection that they’re going through right now.

Watch the clip above via CNN.