This is an adapted excerpt from the May 1 episode of “Morning Joe.”
During the campaign, there were repeated warnings about what would happen if Donald Trump went through with his promise of sweeping global tariffs. Just over 100 days into his second term, we’re seeing those warnings come to life.
On Wednesday, the Commerce Department reported that the U.S. economy shrank at an annual rate of 0.3% during the first quarter, marking the first quarter of negative growth since Q1 of 2022. In a Truth Social post, Trump quickly tried to pass the blame for that number onto Joe Biden. “This is Biden’s Stock Market, not Trump’s. I didn’t take over until January 20th,” Trump wrote.
Senate Republicans had a chance to take back their constitutionally mandated power on Wednesday — all but three said “no.”
But the truth is, Trump isn’t the only one who deserves blame here. If I’m a Democrat, I’m not blaming this all on Trump. Republicans in the Senate had a chance on Wednesday to take a stand against these tariffs and terminate the “national emergency” the president used to implement them. There’s no national emergency that could justify what the president has done. Republicans know that.
Before Trump took the White House, the U.S. economy was the envy of the world. Republicans needed to protect that economy, and they had the opportunity to do that with Wednesday’s vote. But, in the end, only three Republican senators were brave enough to take a stand against Trump. Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to tell the administration that they refused to forfeit all of their power on tariffs to the White House.
The American people will feel the impact of Trump’s tariffs — if they haven’t already. When the next election comes around, the same Republicans who refused to stand up to the president can’t go on the campaign trail and point their finger at Trump. Those Republicans own this. The Republican senators who refused to join their colleagues on Wednesday own it. Republican House members who have stood idly by as Trump wreaks havoc on the economy own it.
Under Trump, elected Republicans have given up their power. They had a chance to take back their constitutionally mandated power on Wednesday — all but three said “no” and effectively told the American people that they wrap their arms around this economy, around a possible recession, and they take full credit for it.