Some of Donald Trump's friends in Washington suddenly get nervous that he has keys to the economy. A few even say that they pulled them out.
There are several efforts to restore the legal power of the US president to determine the tariffs, currently used in an unprecedented manner.
These efforts are long. The most important thing is not whether it will happen, at least not yet. The most important thing is what they reveal.
And what they reveal is the nervousness among Trump's allies – on the capitol, which apparently was so stunned by the scope of his tariffs as Wall Street.
Take Ted Cruz. Senator Texas says that he is fine if Trump does it as a negotiating trick. But he is worried that Trump can seriously approach the tariffs forever.
Cruz says that if these tariffs for allies stay for 30 days, 60 days, 90 days – they still destroy the economy – this is a terrible result. And he is afraid that it could be a plan.
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He was not surprisingly clearly forecasted what it means in future intraosion elections, if the tariffs cause recession.
“It would most likely be a breakdown of blood,” said Cruz in his podcast on Friday. “You would have a democrat, and you can even face the Senate of Democrats.”
Cruz said Wall Street did not expect Trump to go, emphasizing a 10 % decline in the S&P 500 index this week.
The Republican also pushed the idea that these tariffs would harm only foreigners or foreign companies. He said that the main American car company told him that he is now expecting an average price of a vehicle by 4,500 USD this summer.
To his point is not clear what Trump's goal is. The White House sends mixed messages.
On the one hand, the official line is that these tariffs are mostly constant and that they will help increase tax revenues. However, Trump also talks about negotiations with Canada. On Friday, he suggested that he could do the same with Vietnam after he proposed to eliminate his tariffs.
Stock markets around the world fell on the second day after the world's world tariffs Donald Trump, and the White House officials offered contradictory undertaking whether the tariffs were negotiating tactics.
Cruz is not alone in its consternation.
Several Republicans said CNN that they hope for evidence – quickly – that this is only a negotiated trick.
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said: “I will give (Trump) a benefit of doubt, but I'm worried.”
One of them, Senator Thom Tillis from North Carolina, who is in the face of a difficult struggle for re -election, said that farmers in his condition are one of the bankruptcy from bankruptcy: “They don't have time.”
Steps of a child in Congress
So what do these senators do with it?
Finally, the American constitution gives power to Congress in relation to the tariffs. But since World War II, it allowed the president to impose them in an emergency.
Now many legislators talk about establishing limits. Efforts are mainly conducted by Democrats, but there is evidence that some Republicans want to help.
It started with four who voted in favor of the reference of Trump's tariffs to Canada; This The center was handed over to the Senate this weekBut he seems to be convicted at home.
Nevertheless, there is an effort in the chamber to vote on the middle. Democrats started complicated process push the problem to the floor.
In addition, the longest -acting Republican in the Senate, the third in the queue for presidential succession, is comprehensively. Chuck Grassley's measure It would require a tariff approval congress or expire in 60 days.
It is worth noting again that these funds are, saying that they capture them a bit. Even if in some wonderful miracle they went through both chambers of congress, practically unthinkable that they would receive a sufficient number of votes to withstand Trump's veto.
This is the context he says.
Democrats smell a political winner
There was no doubt which party, on Friday afternoon, believed that he had an advantage in this matter. The democrats were now hungry to talk about tariffs.
Desperately eaten from last year's elections for a message on which you can focus, now when they are in opposition.
On Friday, the most important party data was held by the second press conference of the week on this subject at Capitol Hill, announcing efforts to attract a tariff against the Budget Act operating by the Senate.
Speaking of Trump's tariffs, Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer said: “One of the stupidest decisions he has ever made as a president – and he says a lot.”
By promoting the line of his party, Schumer described the tariffs as a class issue: de facto middle class tax, in order to generate revenues used for billionaire tax reductions.
“It's a disgrace,” he said.
Senator Ben Ray Luján from Nowy Mexico said that Republicans never talked better about economic responsibility again. “Because they will throw him out the door,” he said.
And on the day when the stock exchange melted and American relations were in grinding, and the world talked about reversal, here is another eloquent sign.
History barely assessed anywhere on the Fox News website on Friday afternoon and only from time to time appeared on the television network. It was difficult to say who saw this problem as a political winner on Friday. And who does not.