In an interview Sunday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem defended President Donald Trump’s decision to impose tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico, saying, “Economically, yes, they will, they will feel pain. They will feel what the consequences are, and we’ll be able to continue to go forward with the president, who is strong, who is putting America first.”
Noem emphasized the Trump administration’s justification for imposing tariffs on the three nations, saying that all three countries have not been cooperative in the U.S.’ efforts to curb the flow of fentanyl into the country.
She dismissed the fact that the amount of fentanyl intercepted at the northern border last year was a fraction of the amount intercepted at the southern border, according to statistics from Customs and Border Protection.
“What we have sent a message this week on is that we’re not just going to enforce our southern border. We’re going to put extra resources at that northern border as well. So Canada needs to come to the table,” Noem said during an interview on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., made the same point, telling “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker, “I think these tariffs specifically, Kristen, are meant to bring Canada and Mexico to the table for the fentanyl that is streaming into our communities.”
He added, “The fact is, these countries are taking advantage of us all along the while we’ve got fentanyl streaming into our country. So Mexico has a choice. They can choose to trade with the United States or continue to cozy up with the cartels. It’s pretty simple.”
Both Noem and Schmitt dismissed concerns that prices will go up on a variety of goods for U.S. consumers as a result of the tariffs, even as Trump himself acknowledged in a post on TruthSocial Sunday morning that Americans will maybe feel “some pain” due to the tariffs.
“THIS WILL BE THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!),” Trump wrote. “BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID.”
Later, Noem told Welker “If prices go up, it’s because of other people’s reactions to America’s laws.”
Schmitt similarly dismissed reports that prices on consumer goods could rise, saying that tariffs “work” to impact the economy positively in other ways.
“It worked the first time when he was in office, we didn’t see inflation, we saw wage growth, and we saw more onshoring of jobs back here in the United States,” Schmitt said.
But Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., blasted the Trump administration Sunday, saying that tying immigration and border security to tariffs will “hurt American families.”
“Kristen, we’re talking about two different things here,” he told Welker later in the program.
“Border security is important,” Kelly acknowledged, but “what the president has proposed here — raising tariffs on Canada and Mexico — it’s going to just do one thing.”
Kelly argued that the move “will raise prices for American consumers.”
He added, “It’s going to hurt American families. They’re going to see prices go up for food, for energy, for electronics, I think you mentioned that for, for autos. This is not the way to handle this.”
