March 26, 2025 • 8 mins
Democrats once championed tariffs to protect American workers—until Trump adopted the same policies. In this episode, we expose the Left's hypocrisy on trade and tariffs, showing how partisan politics, not principle, drives their outrage. The facts reveal that Trump didn’t rewrite the rules—he just reminded us who wrote them in the first place.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the Conservative Opinion Podcast
brought to you byConservativeOpinioncom.
Now here's your host, jordanRickards.
Hey everybody, welcome to theConservative Opinion Podcast.
Today, I want to talk abouttariffs and, in particular, the
Democrats' hypocrisy when itcomes to tariffs.
President Trump has been backin office for just a few months
(00:24):
now and already the usualsuspects are howling about his
trade policies.
The outrage is predictable andthe talking points are rehearsed
.
Tariffs will crush consumersand destroy jobs.
They'll cause inflation andcompletely unravel the global
economy.
This is the same hysteria thatgreeted his first round of
tariffs in 2018, and yet somehowthe world did not end.
(00:45):
What is striking, however, isnot the substance of the
criticisms some of which, by theway, have merit but the sheer,
staggering hypocrisy of theDemocratic response.
Now, let's be clear A tariff isa tax and it's a tax on trade,
and, like any other tax, itcauses that which is taxed to be
done less.
So a tax on trade, and like anyother tax, it causes that which
is taxed to be done less.
(01:05):
So a tax on trade reduces trade, which slows the economy.
It raises the cost of importedgoods and, in many cases, that
cost is passed down to consumers.
It distorts the market, and itoften invites retaliation.
As a conservative who believesin free trade, I generally do
not celebrate tariffs as aneconomic strategy, barring
(01:27):
exceptional circumstances.
In a perfect world, trade wouldbe as open as possible, with
nations competing fairly andconsumers reaping the benefits
of lower prices and greaterchoices.
But we do not live in a perfectworld.
For decades, the United Stateshas played by the rules, while
(02:06):
other nations have exploitedthose rules to their benefit.
European nations, for example,slap heavy tariffs on American
products while expecting fullaccess to the US market for
their goods.
They even use quasi-tariffs inthe form of environmental
regulations to keep our cars outof their markets.
Japan and South Korea, despitetheir alliances with the United
States, have long engaged inprotectionist policies that make
(02:29):
it difficult for Americanautomobiles and manufactured
goods to gain a foothold intheir markets.
India imposes some of thehighest tariffs in the world on
American imports, even as itbenefits from trade access to
the United States economy.
And many Latin American nations, despite trade agreements,
still find ways to tilt theplaying field in their favor,
(02:49):
while their people flood ourcountry by the millions.
And yet it is only when anAmerican president pushes back,
only when the United Statesgovernment decides to stop being
a doormat for foreign intereststhat the cries of alarm begin.
What makes this latest round ofoutrage particularly absurd is
that the same people nowpanicking over Trump's tariffs
were silent, if not outrightsupportive, when President Biden
(03:12):
imposed his own traderestrictions.
Not long before leaving office,biden announced new tariffs on
$18 billion worth of importsfrom multiple countries,
including 100% tariffs onelectric vehicles from China,
effectively shutting out foreignelectric vehicle manufacturers.
50% tariffs on solar panels,doubling the existing rate.
(03:32):
50% tariffs on semiconductors,ensuring foreign shipmakers
couldn't undercut Americanproduction.
25% tariffs on lithium-ionbatteries, controlling foreign
dominance in the EV supply chain.
25% tariffs on steel andaluminum tariffs that Trump
first imposed, which Bidenquietly kept in place.
(03:53):
25% tariffs on criticalminerals, restricting foreign
control over essentialindustrial materials.
There was no outcry when Bidenimposed these measures.
No breathless news reportsabout how tariffs would
devastate the economy.
No lectures about how raisingbarriers to trade would increase
costs for American consumers.
Instead, these tariffs werequietly framed as necessary
(04:15):
measures to protect Americanindustry.
Indeed, the idea that tariffsare a novel creation of Trumpian
design is an outright falsehood.
The United States has imposedtariffs on imported goods for
centuries.
Before Trump even took officethe first time in 2017, the
United States already hadtariffs in place on over 12,000
different imported goods, withsome of the highest rates in the
(04:38):
world on products like textiles, trucks and certain
agricultural goods.
But now that Trump is back andimplementing his own tariffs, we
are told that this is reckless,protectionist and destructive,
even though none represent aradical departure from what
Biden, Obama or even Bush andClinton have done.
If tariffs are truly anexistential threat to the United
(05:00):
States economy, where was theoutcry when Biden imposed them?
Where was the outrage whenObama slapped 35% tariffs on
foreign tires in 2009?
Where was the hysteria whenBiden left Trump's 25% steel
tariffs untouched for four years?
The answer is simple Democratsdon't actually care about
tariffs.
What they care about isopposing Donald Trump at all
(05:22):
costs.
The facts of economic policyare irrelevant to them.
What matters is narrativecontrol.
If a Democrat imposes tariffs,it's a responsible measure to
defend American workers.
If Trump imposes tariffs, it'sreckless populism.
Beyond the hypocrisy, criticsignore the larger role that
tariffs play in global policynegotiations.
(05:43):
The reality is that tariffs arenot just about raising revenue
or protecting domesticindustries.
They are also a crucial tool ofeconomic diplomacy.
For years, the United Stateshas tolerated unfair trade
practices from foreign nations,hoping that diplomatic goodwill
alone would bring change.
It hasn't.
Many of these nations havegrown accustomed to one-sided
(06:04):
trade agreements that benefitthem while disadvantaging
American workers.
A well-placed tariff can changethat equation.
Tariffs force other nations tothe negotiating table.
They create leverage.
They remind foreign governmentsthat access to the American
market one of the largest andmost valuable in the world is
not something to be taken forgranted, and they remind those
(06:25):
same governments that we are notto be taken advantage of in
other ways.
Consider the recent exchangewith Colombia, refusing to take
back their own illegalimmigrants until Trump
threatened tariffs, which causedthe Colombians to back down in
a matter of hours.
If the United States must absorbsome short-term economic pain
in order to secure long-terminterests, that's a trade-off
(06:46):
worth considering.
Trade should be as open andfree as possible, but it must
also be fair.
For too long, the United Stateshas played the role of a naive
idealist in a world of economicrealities.
Other nations protect theirindustries, manipulate their
currencies and rig tradeagreements in their favor, all
while America continues to playby the rules.
Trump, for all his flaws,understands something that the
(07:10):
global elitists in Washingtonrefuse to accept Economic
strength is national strength,and trade policy is about more
than just profit margins.
It's about sovereignty.
So, yes, I have my reservationsabout tariffs I wish they
weren't necessary.
But what I despise more thanbad economic policy is a
dishonest political argument.
If Democrats want to argue thattariffs are harmful, fine, but
(07:34):
let them first explain whyBiden's tariffs were acceptable
and Trump's are not.
Let them admit that they satsilent while Biden imposed many
of the same policies they nowclaim are destructive.
Let them acknowledge that tradeis not just a question of
supply chains and price tags,but of global power and national
security.
Until then, their complaintsdeserve nothing more than
(07:54):
dismissal.
Their outrage is not aboutpolicy.
It is about politics, and theAmerican people should see it
for exactly what it is.
This has been Jordan Rickardswith the Conservative Opinion
Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
Welcome to the Conservative Opinion Podcast
brought to you byConservativeOpinioncom.
Now here's your host, jordanRickards.
Hey everybody, welcome to theConservative Opinion Podcast.
Today, I want to talk abouttariffs and, in particular, the
Democrats' hypocrisy when itcomes to tariffs.
President Trump has been backin office for just a few months
(00:24):
now and already the usualsuspects are howling about his
trade policies.
The outrage is predictable andthe talking points are rehearsed
.
Tariffs will crush consumersand destroy jobs.
They'll cause inflation andcompletely unravel the global
economy.
This is the same hysteria thatgreeted his first round of
tariffs in 2018, and yet somehowthe world did not end.
(00:45):
What is striking, however, isnot the substance of the
criticisms some of which, by theway, have merit but the sheer,
staggering hypocrisy of theDemocratic response.
Now, let's be clear A tariff isa tax and it's a tax on trade,
and, like any other tax, itcauses that which is taxed to be
done less.
So a tax on trade, and like anyother tax, it causes that which
is taxed to be done less.
(01:05):
So a tax on trade reduces trade, which slows the economy.
It raises the cost of importedgoods and, in many cases, that
cost is passed down to consumers.
It distorts the market, and itoften invites retaliation.
As a conservative who believesin free trade, I generally do
not celebrate tariffs as aneconomic strategy, barring
(01:27):
exceptional circumstances.
In a perfect world, trade wouldbe as open as possible, with
nations competing fairly andconsumers reaping the benefits
of lower prices and greaterchoices.
But we do not live in a perfectworld.
For decades, the United Stateshas played by the rules, while
(02:06):
other nations have exploitedthose rules to their benefit.
European nations, for example,slap heavy tariffs on American
products while expecting fullaccess to the US market for
their goods.
They even use quasi-tariffs inthe form of environmental
regulations to keep our cars outof their markets.
Japan and South Korea, despitetheir alliances with the United
States, have long engaged inprotectionist policies that make
(02:29):
it difficult for Americanautomobiles and manufactured
goods to gain a foothold intheir markets.
India imposes some of thehighest tariffs in the world on
American imports, even as itbenefits from trade access to
the United States economy.
And many Latin American nations, despite trade agreements,
still find ways to tilt theplaying field in their favor,
(02:49):
while their people flood ourcountry by the millions.
And yet it is only when anAmerican president pushes back,
only when the United Statesgovernment decides to stop being
a doormat for foreign intereststhat the cries of alarm begin.
What makes this latest round ofoutrage particularly absurd is
that the same people nowpanicking over Trump's tariffs
were silent, if not outrightsupportive, when President Biden
(03:12):
imposed his own traderestrictions.
Not long before leaving office,biden announced new tariffs on
$18 billion worth of importsfrom multiple countries,
including 100% tariffs onelectric vehicles from China,
effectively shutting out foreignelectric vehicle manufacturers.
50% tariffs on solar panels,doubling the existing rate.
(03:32):
50% tariffs on semiconductors,ensuring foreign shipmakers
couldn't undercut Americanproduction.
25% tariffs on lithium-ionbatteries, controlling foreign
dominance in the EV supply chain.
25% tariffs on steel andaluminum tariffs that Trump
first imposed, which Bidenquietly kept in place.
(03:53):
25% tariffs on criticalminerals, restricting foreign
control over essentialindustrial materials.
There was no outcry when Bidenimposed these measures.
No breathless news reportsabout how tariffs would
devastate the economy.
No lectures about how raisingbarriers to trade would increase
costs for American consumers.
Instead, these tariffs werequietly framed as necessary
(04:15):
measures to protect Americanindustry.
Indeed, the idea that tariffsare a novel creation of Trumpian
design is an outright falsehood.
The United States has imposedtariffs on imported goods for
centuries.
Before Trump even took officethe first time in 2017, the
United States already hadtariffs in place on over 12,000
different imported goods, withsome of the highest rates in the
(04:38):
world on products like textiles, trucks and certain
agricultural goods.
But now that Trump is back andimplementing his own tariffs, we
are told that this is reckless,protectionist and destructive,
even though none represent aradical departure from what
Biden, Obama or even Bush andClinton have done.
If tariffs are truly anexistential threat to the United
(05:00):
States economy, where was theoutcry when Biden imposed them?
Where was the outrage whenObama slapped 35% tariffs on
foreign tires in 2009?
Where was the hysteria whenBiden left Trump's 25% steel
tariffs untouched for four years?
The answer is simple Democratsdon't actually care about
tariffs.
What they care about isopposing Donald Trump at all
(05:22):
costs.
The facts of economic policyare irrelevant to them.
What matters is narrativecontrol.
If a Democrat imposes tariffs,it's a responsible measure to
defend American workers.
If Trump imposes tariffs, it'sreckless populism.
Beyond the hypocrisy, criticsignore the larger role that
tariffs play in global policynegotiations.
(05:43):
The reality is that tariffs arenot just about raising revenue
or protecting domesticindustries.
They are also a crucial tool ofeconomic diplomacy.
For years, the United Stateshas tolerated unfair trade
practices from foreign nations,hoping that diplomatic goodwill
alone would bring change.
It hasn't.
Many of these nations havegrown accustomed to one-sided
(06:04):
trade agreements that benefitthem while disadvantaging
American workers.
A well-placed tariff can changethat equation.
Tariffs force other nations tothe negotiating table.
They create leverage.
They remind foreign governmentsthat access to the American
market one of the largest andmost valuable in the world is
not something to be taken forgranted, and they remind those
(06:25):
same governments that we are notto be taken advantage of in
other ways.
Consider the recent exchangewith Colombia, refusing to take
back their own illegalimmigrants until Trump
threatened tariffs, which causedthe Colombians to back down in
a matter of hours.
If the United States must absorbsome short-term economic pain
in order to secure long-terminterests, that's a trade-off
(06:46):
worth considering.
Trade should be as open andfree as possible, but it must
also be fair.
For too long, the United Stateshas played the role of a naive
idealist in a world of economicrealities.
Other nations protect theirindustries, manipulate their
currencies and rig tradeagreements in their favor, all
while America continues to playby the rules.
Trump, for all his flaws,understands something that the
(07:10):
global elitists in Washingtonrefuse to accept Economic
strength is national strength,and trade policy is about more
than just profit margins.
It's about sovereignty.
So, yes, I have my reservationsabout tariffs I wish they
weren't necessary.
But what I despise more thanbad economic policy is a
dishonest political argument.
If Democrats want to argue thattariffs are harmful, fine, but
(07:34):
let them first explain whyBiden's tariffs were acceptable
and Trump's are not.
Let them admit that they satsilent while Biden imposed many
of the same policies they nowclaim are destructive.
Let them acknowledge that tradeis not just a question of
supply chains and price tags,but of global power and national
security.
Until then, their complaintsdeserve nothing more than
(07:54):
dismissal.
Their outrage is not aboutpolicy.
It is about politics, and theAmerican people should see it
for exactly what it is.
This has been Jordan Rickardswith the Conservative Opinion
Podcast.
Thanks for listening.
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