Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) was not among the few Republican lawmakers who rebuked President Donald Trump over his emergency tariffs on Canada earlier this year, but nonetheless he delivered a warning over the weekend about the potentially devastating consequences of the president’s tariff policies.
The GOP senator sat down with CNN’s Manu Raju for a wide-ranging discussion Sunday about the current state of the Republican Party, and when asked about which of Trump’s many controversial actions has caused him the most concern, Curtis spoke plainly.
“If we’re not careful, we’ll destroy small businesses with tariffs,” he told the “Inside Politics Sunday” host. “And I understand, you have to play the long game with President Trump and tariffs, and I’m not one to step in and out-guess his negotiating style or technique.”
“But I do think we have to be very, very careful with our small businesses, particularly when it comes to these tariffs,” continued Curtis, who had just finished giving a speech on the Senate floor about the need for greater transparency in government.
Trump announced a sweeping 10% baseline tariff last month on almost all imports to the U.S., with levies on China set even higher. While the president argues this could revive American manufacturing, economists have warned of a potential recession, or worse.
Elected last year to fill former Sen. Mitt Romney’s (R-Utah) seat, Curtis has had mixed reactions to Trump.
While he didn’t back the “Make America Great Again” leader in the Republican primaries and has slammed Trump for encouraging “an act of terrorism” in the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot, Curtis voted against both of Trump’s impeachments while serving in the U.S. House — and offered him some praise on Sunday.
“It’s remarkable what’s happened at the border,” he told Raju. “We saw an incredible inflation report a couple days ago. We’re seeing some stability internationally that I credit President Trump with. And so, there’s clearly two sides to this.”
Curtis was also critical of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency, however, which has targeted thousands of federal workers and agencies with the stated aim of cutting wasteful spending, under the direction of billionaire Trump adviser Elon Musk.
Musk spent a fortune to help reelect Trump and, as a “special government employee” tapped to root out federal waste, fraud and financial abuse, wielded a symbolic chainsaw onstage earlier this year. He also asked government employees to justify their jobs via email.
Curtis is in favor of tackling the U.S. debt and deficit, but told Raju on Sunday this “doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have compassion” while laying off federal workers, or understand that “perhaps that’s the worst day of their life.”
“I do think we need to make cuts, and I think DOGE has opened their eyes to some doors that are very problematic, but having run a business, having been mayor, I know this goes over a lot better if you have a dose of compassion,” the moderate conservative argued.
