OAN Staff James Meyers
11:20 AM – Thursday, April 3, 2025
A moderate Democrat has expressed cautious optimism for President Donald Trump’s tariffs after most of his party reacted in anger to the new tariffs.
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Representative Jared Golden, (D-Maine), pointed out in a lengthy statement that he had proposed a 10% blanket tariff on U.S. imports earlier this year and said he was happy Trump’s baseline policy was the same.
“What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed in the BUILT USA Act. This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits,” Golden said.
“I’m eager to work with the president to fix the broken ‘free trade’ system that made multinational corporations rich but ruined manufacturing communities across the country,” he continued. “But tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.”
Golden noted that the 47th president “introduced a number of new tariff policies” alongside the 10% universal tax, and that he would need time to review the policies in detail before weighing in on them further.
He also said tariffs “must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity.”
“We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people — that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he said.
“Tariffs are a first step in rewriting a rigged trade system, but they cannot be the last one.”
Despite Golden’s comments not being in full support of Trump’s tariffs, his remarks are still more optimistic than his fellow Democrat legislators.
“I have always said that when used strategically, tariffs are a critical tool,” Representative Debbie Dingell, (D-Mich.), told Axios. “However, the key word is “strategically.” I’m concerned about the chaotic and immediate implementation of these wide-reaching tariffs.”
With the new tariffs, Representative Gregory Meeks, (D-N.Y.), who is the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he will force a vote targeting the new national emergency the president is using to justify the 10% blanket tariff.
“I’ll soon introduce a privileged resolution to force a vote on ending the made up national emergency Trump is using to justify these taxes. Republicans can’t keep ducking this — it’s time they show whether they support the economic pain Trump is inflicting on their constituents,” Meeks said in a statement.
Additionally, Golden has been known to break from his party on several key occasions.
Golden has represented Maine’s 2nd Congressional District since 2019. Trump won it by almost 10% this past November.
The president’s plan includes a 10% blanket tariff on all imports into the United States, and tariffs of up to 50% on both ally and rival countries.
The 47th president made the announcement on Wednesday, which was deemed “Liberation Day.”
“April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn. The day America’s destiny was reclaimed. And the day that we began to make America wealthy again,” Trump said in remarks announcing his plan Wednesday.
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