GOP senator on tariff threat: Hopefully Trump is blowing off steam because ‘this is nuts’

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) slammed President Trump’s announcement Thursday that he was considering imposing $100 billion in tariffs on China amid the ongoing trade dispute between Washington and Beijing, calling it “nuts” and “dumb.” 

{mosads}“Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam again but, if he’s even half-serious, this is nuts. China is guilty of many things, but the President has no actual plan to win right now,” Sasse said in a statement. 

“He’s threatening to light American agriculture on fire. Let’s absolutely take on Chinese bad behavior, but with a plan that punishes them instead of us. This is the dumbest possible way to do this,” he continued. 

Sasse tweeted the statement, breaking his three-month silence on Twitter. 

Hopefully the President is just blowing off steam, but setting Amer agriculture on fire is not a plan. My statement: pic.twitter.com/zSJhYZPDK2

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) April 5, 2018

Decided to take a 1-min break from my 4-mon Twitter fast. Signing back off again now… (BTW, freedom from Twitter is good for family life) https://t.co/mkxIIGzDTD

— Ben Sasse (@BenSasse) April 5, 2018

Trump ordered the U.S. trade representative (USTR) to consider slapping $100 billion in additional tariffs on China on Thursday. 

Sasse joins Senate Republicans including Chuck Grassley (Iowa) and Pat Roberts (Kansas) in ripping the president’s trade conflict with China this week. 

The Trump administration finds itself in a trade dispute with Beijing after the White House on Tuesday detailed a $50 billion tariff package on China, with 25 percent tariffs being leveled on imports of Chinese electronics, shoes, furniture and other goods.

Beijing retaliated on Wednesday, slapping 25 percent tariffs on imports of U.S. soybeans, corn, airplanes and automobiles in a package that totals about $50 billion worth of goods.

Trump said on Twitter on Wednesday that the U.S. was not in a trade war with China.  

We are not in a trade war with China, that war was lost many years ago by the foolish, or incompetent, people who represented the U.S. Now we have a Trade Deficit of $500 Billion a year, with Intellectual Property Theft of another $300 Billion. We cannot let this continue!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 4, 2018