Republican Says Trump Tariffs Will ‘Absolutely’ Inflict Short-Term Pain

Republican Senator Tim Sheehy of Montana said that the tariffs President Donald Trump promises to impose this week would “absolutely” cause “short-term pain.”

Newsweek reached out to Sheehy’s office via email on Monday night for comment.

Why It Matters

Trump has threatened tariffs against Canada, Mexico and China among others during his second term in office.

The president’s reciprocal tariff plans go into effect this week, in what he calls “Liberation Day.” While speaking to reporters on Sunday, the president doubled down further on the plan saying the reciprocal tariffs will include “all countries.”

Fear of a tariff war has translated to the stock market and recent polling. Trump’s economic approval rating continues to slide as potential recession anxieties grow. Golman Sachs raised the odds of a recession from 20 percent to 35 percent, Reuters reported.

What To Know

While speaking about the tariffs to CNN‘s Kaitlan Collins Monday night, Sheehy said he is unsure what the tariffs are going to look like exactly, as the president is in the process of figuring it out.

“There’s absolutely going to be short-term pain,” Sheehy said. “The president’s been clear about that, everyone has. I mean, if you’re going to remodel your house to make it better in the end, it’s gonna be really annoying in the short-term when your house is getting remodeled.”

Continuing, “The reality is, that remodels got to happen in order to make things stronger and more stable on the backend.” Sheehy continued to blast other countries in western Europe who have benefited from America’s military, he says.

Sheehy added he doesn’t know how long the short-term pain would last when asked by Collins.

Last week, the president also announced a 25 percent tariff on imported cars in an effort to “spur growth.” The White House foresees the automotive tariffs to generate $100 billion annually.

Tm Sheehy — Republican Senator Tim Sheehy is seen speaking to CNN on March 31, 2025, about President Donald Trump’s looming tariff plan. (Photo from CNN’s Kaitlin Collins X account)

What People Are Saying

Wajahat Ali, Daily Beast columnist, on X, formerly Twitter, in response to Sheehy on Monday: “Oh, Republicans. This is going to be a really, really tough sell. Think twice.”

Journalist Laura Rozen, with over 170,000 followers on X on Monday: “Short and medium term hurt and maybe long term too, but you will be dead.”

President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “There will never have been a transformation of a Country like the transformation that is happening, for all to see, in the United States of America. Companies are pouring into our Country at levels never seen before, with Jobs (and Money!) to follow. It is a beautiful thing to watch!”

Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville of Alabama speaking to Fox Business Monday in part: “This is one thing that President Trump is gotta sell, but its also going to work. But its going to be a slow pain first before we get to gain. We have to get jobs back in this country. We have to get manufacturing to come back, we can’t control that as a Senate, the one thing that we can control as you said, we can control the tax cuts.”

He added: “We have to get those done and we have to get it done this week and let President Trump do the tariffs. We do the cuts, get the debt limit put in with this reconciliation, fund the border wall…fund all the immigration processes going on. We have to get back to business up here, we’ve been dragging our feet. But I think with the tariffs this week and also the budget reconciliation that we’ll do for the tax cuts, I think its all going to come together. Hopefully one big, beautiful bill Larry but we’ll see.”