Too Little Too Late: Sen. Ted Cruz is Suddenly Worried About Trump Tariffs Impacting Americans
The global economy is plunging deeper into recession territory because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. The sudden downturn has left Republicans lawmakers scratching their heads. The self-inflicted economic uncertainty is sending fear through global stock markets. The United States stock markets have lost more than $5 trillion since the tariffs were announced and it seems that President Trump is determined to let things get worse. Even his strongest support, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), is sharing his concern.
Sen. Ted Cruz has joined Republican lawmakers questioning the recent Trump tariffs
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is attempting to put distance between himself and the Trump tariffs causing chaos and fear. Sen. Cruz spoke out against the growing trade war sparked by the tariffs. President Trump’s push for tariffs across the board is going to cost American consumers more because of how tariffs work. It seems that Sen. Cruz is finally willing to call it by name.
“Tariffs are a tax on consumers, and I’m not a fan of jacking up taxes on American consumers,” Sen. Cruz told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. “My hope is these tariffs are short-lived and they serve as leverage to lower tariffs across the globe.”
Sen. Cruz is finally joining other Republican and Democratic lawmakers in seeing the tariffs for what they are. The tariffs will cause undue harm against American consumers who will pay to offset the tariffs imposed by other countries. After President Trump announced his tariffs, countries across the globe from Canada to Mexico to the European Union to China have enacted their own.
In fact, President Trump’s tariffs are uniting the world against the United States. Recently, China, Japan, and South Korea joined together to implement tariffs on the U.S. in a concerted effort.
Sen. Cruz’s rebuke of the tariffs boils down to one thing: politics
Sen. Cruz finally understanding and communicating the real damage the tariffs will do on Americans is a good start. But, as he says in his podcast, the real fear is a loss of Republican control. He might be framing his argument as trying to help American consumers but he is scared of Republicans losing their power because of their leader.
“If we’re in a scenario 30 days from now, 60 days from now, 90 days from now with massive American tariffs and massive tariffs on American goods in every other country on Earth, it’s a terrible outcome,” Sen. Cruz said in his podcast.
If the U.S. falls into a recession because of the tariffs, Sen. Cruz fears a “bloodbath” for Republicans for the 2026 midterms. While Americans suffer, Sen. Cruz is staying true to form and thinking about his own political life.
Why does this matter?
For millions of Americans, retirement accounts are on the line. The average 401k, for those who have them, has fallen around $8,000 since the Trump tariffs were enacted. Retirees and those saving for retirement are bearing the brunt of financial turmoil as stock markets continue to plummet.
Despite the fear and financial chaos, President Trump posted to Truth Social that he was not going to change course. The president spent the weekend playing in a golf tournament as the stock market tanked. While isolated in Palm Beach County, Florida, President Trump continued to stoke economic fears and seemed determined to push the world into a recession.
