Trump says tariffs will help House Republican ahead of midterms
President Trump told House Republicans on Tuesday that his tariffs will help them ahead of the midterm elections in 2026.
“We’re going to win the midterm elections and we’re going to have a tremendous, thundering landslide. I really believe that,” Trump said, speaking at the National Republican Congressional Committee fundraising dinner.
“It’s so important that we pass the big, beautiful bill,” he continued. “And I really think we’re helped a lot by the tariff situation that’s going on, which is a good situation,” “It’s going to be legendary, you watch.”
Trump’s comments came after he dug in on the matter, and markets erased their small gains, as seen on Tuesday morning. On Tuesday, the president announced an additional 50 percent tariff on top of the 54 percent rate he announced for China last week. The addition brings the tariff set to hit at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday to 104 percent.
A number of Republican lawmakers in the House and Senate have signed on to bipartisan bills that would allow any tariffs a president enacts to expire after 40 days unless Congress approves. Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) is helping to lead the effort in the House, while Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is co-leading it in the Senate.
Trump criticized lawmakers willing to defy him on tariffs at Tuesday’s dinner.
“These countries are calling me up kissing my ass,” the president said. “And then I’ll see some rebel Republican, some guy that wants to grandstand and say, ‘I think that Congress should takeover negotiations.’ Let me tell you, you don’t negotiate like I negotiate.”
Trump predicted that Republicans, who hold a 220-213 majority in the House, would expand their grip on the lower chamber next year.
“The party is doing well and there is no reason why we shouldn’t get together and win these midterms and win them by a lot,” Trump said. “We won’t just keep our majorities; we’ll expand our majorities by a lot.”
However, Democrats have signaled they will use the tariff issue against House Republicans going into the midterms.
“Republicans are raising prices for families,” Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chair Suzan DelBene (D-Wash.) said in an interview with The Hill last week. “With the cost of living being a top issue in the election last year, [it’s] not surprising that it’s a top issue right now and something that Republicans promised to address.”
“This is chaos, dysfunction, and the president implementing tariffs with no plan,” she said. “And it’s not done yet because we’re going to continue to see retaliation from the international community, so there are long term impacts,” she said. “He can break things very easily, and it’s hard to put them back together.”