In a surprising bipartisan moment, a Democrat voiced cautious support for President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose sweeping tariffs.
Speaking on NewsNation’s The Hill podcast, Cuellar, whose district includes the vital Laredo border crossing, acknowledged the strategic value of Trump’s proposed 25% tariff on Mexican imports.
“Laredo’s the largest port; we handle 40% of all the trade between the U.S. and Mexico. I know this is a way to negotiate, get some leverage. I know that Mexico will come to the table,” Cuellar said.
Trump’s tariff plan, announced Monday via Truth Social, includes a 25% tariff on goods from both Mexico and Canada and an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports.
The President-elect framed these tariffs as a way to compel America’s trading partners to increase border security and crack down on the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S., a crisis that has devastated communities across the country.
“Both Mexico and Canada have the absolute right and power to easily solve this long-simmering problem,” Trump wrote. “Until such time that they do, it is time for them to pay a very big price!”
Cuellar echoed Trump’s sentiment, saying that while tariffs would have economic repercussions, they could serve as an effective means of gaining leverage over Mexico.
“Nobody wants a 25% tariff on them, and the Mexicans are threatening to do the same thing,” Cuellar admitted. “But I think this will definitely get Mexico to the table so we can solve the problem about immigration and fentanyl.”
While Cuellar acknowledged the potential benefits of Trump’s aggressive stance, other Democrats were less receptive.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) criticized Trump’s tariff threats during a CNN appearance, dismissing them as impractical.
“I think he’s heading toward a real horror show where the consequences can’t be squared with the promises he made,” Blumenthal said, adding that Trump’s simultaneous goals of slashing government spending and preserving entitlement programs like Medicare and Medicaid would be difficult to reconcile.
Conservatives, however, view the tariffs as a bold, decisive measure to restore control at the border and address the nation’s fentanyl crisis.
Trump’s supporters argue that his track record of using tariffs as a negotiating tool during his first term proves his ability to force concessions from foreign nations without sacrificing U.S. economic interests.
