Michigan Senate nominee Mike Rogers is the latest Republican to break from President Donald Trump, calling for the end of the “tariff war” with Canada in an ad launched Wednesday, less than a month before midterms.
“Here in Michigan we know Canada is not our enemy,” Rogers says in the ad. “We need to end this tariff war now.”
In July, Trump imposed a 50% tariff on certain Canadian goods, including cars, alcohol and dairy products. The levies were meant to offset “the burden and disadvantage on U.S. commerce from Canada’s discriminatory treatment of U.S. commerce,” according to the White House
Canada launched counter-tariffs that matched the White House’s last month.
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The ad marks a shift in Rogers’ position. As recently as last month, Reuters reported, the Michigan Republican called the tariffs “necessary.”
When asked about Rogers’ ad, Trump said he viewed the video as a call for Canada to make a deal.
“Canada has been ripping off our country for many, many years,” Trump said Wednesday. “We don’t need Canada for anything.”
Rogers is facing Democrat Abdul El-Sayed in a hotly contested race for an open Senate seat held by Democratic Sen. Gary Peters, who is retiring.
With just weeks to go until Election Day, candidates across the country are trying to convince voters they can help stem Americans’ cost-of-living struggles. And Trump’s plummeting approval rating isn’t helping Republicans’ case.
“Prices are too high…” Rogers wrote in the social media post that features the tariff ad. “In the Senate, I’ll bring both parties together to lower costs and put Michigan families first.”
American households will see cost increases of about $1,100 a year from the tariffs, according to the Yale Budget Lab.
This isn’t the first time Rogers has seemingly broken with the president this election cycle — nor is he the first Republican to move away from Trump on some issues. Last month, Rogers called for an end to the Iran war. Texas Senate nominee Ken Paxton said in a leaked audio clip that Trump’s war — and the rising fuel prices that resulted — were hurting Republicans, and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Florida) released an ad criticizing Trump’s immigration enforcement.
El-Sayed reshared Rogers’ post Wednesday with a pointed rebuttal.
“You cheerled this tariff war from the beginning and you’re flip-flopping now because your poll numbers are in free fall,” El-Sayed wrote. “Donald is the reason we’re in a trade war. And he’s the reason you’re running.”
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