President Trump is posting about “tariffing” fentanyl from Canada and lashing out at fellow Republicans as global markets braced for his unveiling of import taxes just hours away.
The MAGA leader, who has flip-flopped on tariffs several times already, derided a handful of GOP senators who may side with Democrats in rebuking him for declaring an emergency” over the small amounts of the dangerous drug coming from north of the border.
“(They) will hopefully (fight to) penalize Canada for the sale, into our Country, of large amounts of Fentanyl,” Trump said, adding that his policies amount to “tariffing the value of this horrible and deadly drug in order to make it more costly to distribute and buy.”
Trump’s post on his social media site asserts that it would be possible to tax illegal drugs sold in the U.S. which would be impossible since such transactions do not take place using official financial channels.
The post amounts to more evidence that Trump sees tariffs as a solution for virtually any problem, from economic and geopolitical woes to cultural woes like Americans’ illicit fentanyl habit.
It also underlines the unpredictability of Trump’s plan, which has already shifted several times and bowed to pleas for relief from political allies.
The uncertainty roiled markets hours before Trump planned to unveil his long-awaited plan for global tariffs. He was reportedly still tinkering with his plan early Wednesday, another sign that he could dole out exemptions to favored political allies or industries that vow loyalty to him.
The White House initially scheduled the tariff announcement for 3 p.m., but moved it back to 4 p.m. in an apparent effort to avoid the verdict of Wall Street by waiting until after U.S. markets close for the day.
Trump’s post was aimed at a handful of Republican senators who are considering backing a Democratic push to revoke the fentanyl “emergency” declaration that Trump has used as a pretext for imposing tariffs on Canadian imports.
The senators include moderate Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) along with Kentucky free trade advocates Sen. Rand Paul and Sen. Mitch McConnell, a sometimes critic of Trump. Even if the measure passes, it has no chance of even getting a hearing in the GOP-controlled House, let alone reaching the president’s desk.
“They are playing with the lives of the American people,” Trump posted. “What is wrong with them, other than suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome?”
Less than 1% of all fentanyl that comes into the U.S. comes from Canada, official figures say, and Canadian security forces recently dramatically boosted interdiction programs in a nod to U.S. concerns.
Most economic experts say tariffs can be an effective tool if used in a targeted manner, like to address specific unfair export practices by a trading partner or to unlock access to a foreign market. However, using them to address other policy concerns is likely to backfire by giving mixed messages and leading to escalating trade wars.
