Rand Paul argues Trump tariffs are based on ‘fallacy’ that trades rip off US

Published April 8, 2025 12:27pm ET



Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) claimed that a key problem with the tariffs recently implemented by the Trump administration is based on a “fallacy” that the U.S. does not benefit from trade with other nations.

The Kentucky senator said that Trump’s argument for tariffs is “fundamentally backwards” because it is based on the idea that when countries engage in free trade, “someone must lose” and that foreign countries like China or Japan are benefiting from trade more than the U.S.

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