¶ Overview
In 2026, Kris Kobach praised Trump’s tariffs and claimed his tariffs returned the “tradition” of imposing tariffs on foreign imports as the primary source of federal revenue. Kobach praised the tariffs even though the U.S. stock market crashed in April 2025 due to Trump’s escalating global trade war.
Trump’s tariffs and trade war were hurting Kansas’ small businesses and agricultural industry, including
soybean farmers. Trump’s tariffs impacted Kansas’ agricultural industry due to the large exports of grain and soybeans to Mexico. From March 2025 to February 2026, Kansas’ small business importers paid an average of $189,000 in additional tariffs. The tariffs also impacted and disrupted Kansas small businesses, including Z&M Twisted Vines Vineyard in Lawrence, Rochester Brewing and Roasting in Kansas City, and The Active Hamper in Parkville.
¶ Kris Kobach Supported Trump’s Devastating Tariffs As The Tariffs And Trade War Hurt Kansas’ Small Businesses And The Agricultural Industry
¶ Kris Kobach Supported Trump’s Devastating Tariffs Even Though They Caused The Stock Market To Crash
2026: Kobach Praised Trump’s Tariffs As A “Return” To “Tradition” Of Imposing Tariffs On Foreign Imports As The Primary Source Of Federal Revenue. According to Kris Kobach’s Twitter, “For the first 140 years of United States history, tariffs on foreign imports were the primary source of revenue for the federal government. President Trump‘s efforts to return us closer to that tradition are to be commended. High income taxes are debilitating for both the individual and the nation. #SOTU26”
[Twitter, @KrisKobach1787, 2/24/26]
April 2-4, 2025: The U.S. Stock Market Crashed As Trump’s Tariffs “Escalated A Global Trade War And Wiped Out Trillions Of Dollars In Value.” According to NPR, “Wall Street plummeted for a second straight day on Friday, as President Trump's tariffs escalated a global trade war and wiped out trillions of dollars in value from the U.S. stock market. The two-day selloff served as the financial community's most brutal warning yet about the potential fallout of Trump's trade policy. Investors, businesses, and consumers are all expressing mounting terror about how these sweeping new taxes could upend the global economy.” [NPR, 4/4/25]
¶ Kobach Also Supported Trump’s Tariffs During The First Trump Administration
2020: Kobach Accused Marshall Of “Stabbing The President In The Back” For Expressing Concern Over Trump’s Tariffs Impact On Farmers. According to the Wichita Eagle, “When Kobach decided to fight back, it was mostly directed at Marshall — and it was mostly questioning both Marshall’s loyalty to Trump and his conservative bona fides. Specifically, Kobach accused Marshall of ‘stabbing the president in the back’ with a May 2019 op-ed in The Kansas City Star that argued that Kansas farmers ‘cannot withstand another round of tariffs.’” [Wichita Eagle, 2/1/20]
¶ Trump’s Tariffs Were Hurting Small Businesses And The Agricultural Industry In Kansas
¶ Trump’s Tariffs And Trade War Impacted Kansas’ Agricultural Industry, Including Soybean Producers As Costs Increased While Soybean Prices Remained Low
HEADLINE: “Grocery Inflation Highest Since 2022 As Trump Tariffs Pile Up” [Axios, 9/16/25]
HEADLINE: “Kansas Soybean Farmers Are Squeezed Further By Tariffs, Iran War” [JC Post, 4/15/26]
HEADLINE: “‘There Is Some Uncertainty’: Kansas Ag Anticipates Impact Of Looming Tariffs” [WIBW, 3/11/25]
2025: Trump’s Tariffs Impacted Kansas’ Agricultural Industry Due To The Large Exports Of Grain And Soybeans To Mexico. According to WIBW, "From grain to soybeans, a large percentage of Kansas agriculture gets shipped out of the U.S., including to our neighbors most heavily targeted by the president’s tariffs. ‘A lot of wheat goes on southbound trains from the state of Kansas and either ends up in a southern gulf port or it does go across the US-Mexico border and ends up there in a market in Mexico,’ Senior Director of Advocacy for Kansas Farm Bureau Ryan Flickner said. ‘Very similar with some of the corn exports.’" [WIBW, 3/11/25]
2025-2026: Trump’s Tariffs And Trade War With China Impacted Midwest Soybean Producers As Costs Increased While Soybean Prices Remained Low. According to the JC Post, "Bartek’s concerns are shared by many Midwest soybean producers. Costs, such as equipment, have crept up over time while soybean prices have stayed low. Tariffs levied by the Trump administration last year and the resulting monthslong trade war with China only made things worse, they say." [JC Post, 4/15/26]
¶ Kansas’ Agricultural Industry Relied On Exporting Goods To Mexico, Canada, And China
2023: Kansas’ Agricultural Industry Exported $1.73 Billion To Mexico, $528 Million To Canada, And $423 Million To China. According to WIBW, "Mexico is the number one buyer for Kansas Ag exports at $1.73 Billion, Canada is the number three Buyer at $528 million, and China is the number four Buyer at $423 million, based on 2023 numbers.” [WIBW, 3/11/25]
¶ Trump’s Tariffs Impacted And Disrupted Kansas Small Businesses, With Kansas’ Small Business Importers Paying An Average Of $189,000 In Additional Tariffs
March 2025-February 2026: Kansas’ Small Business Importers Paid An Average Of $189,000 In Additional Tariffs. According to the Center For American Progress, "Small-business importers paid tens of thousands of dollars more in tariffs Average additional tariffs paid per small-business importer by state, March 2025–February 2026"
[Center For American Progress, 3/26/26]
HEADLINE: “Small Business Owners In Kansas City Say Tariff Uncertainty Has Already Cost Them, Regardless Of Court Rulings” [KSHB 41, 2/23/26]
2025: Trump’s Tariffs Caused A Nearly 25 Percent Increase In Wine Bottle Prices, Causing Z&M Twisted Vines Vineyard In Lawrence, Kansas To Put “Everything On Hold.” According to WIBW, "Retaliatory tariffs are affecting imports too. 13 NEWS spoke to one Lawrence winery that’s seeing a nearly 25% increase in wine bottle prices. ‘What we are planning on doing is we have about 30,000 bottles empty bottles on hand and even though we expected to do about 60,000 bottles this year, we’re putting everything on hold,’ Z&M Twisted Vines Vineyard Founder Bryan Zesiger said." [WIBW, 3/11/25]
2026: Uncertainty Over Trump’s Tariffs Disrupted And Impacted Kansas Small Businesses, Including A Kansas City Coffee Roasting And Brewing Company And A Parkville Speciality Laundry Hamper Business. According to KSHB 41, “Small business owners in Kansas City say tariff uncertainty has already cost them, regardless of Supreme Court rulings eliminating some tariffs. Two local entrepreneurs say the back-and-forth over tariffs has disrupted planning, threatened margins and, at one point, nearly forced one of them to shut down entirely. A Kansas City coffee roasting and brewing company and a Parkville specialty laundry hamper business are among the small businesses feeling the effects of ongoing tariff uncertainty. Both owners say the recent court ruling is only part of the story." [KSHB 41, 2/23/26]
- Rochester Brewing And Roasting’s Founder Said Trump’s Tariffs On Coffee Beans And Metals Used In Beer Canning Caused The Business To Absorb Cost Increases In Order To Prevent Price Increases For Consumers. According to KSHB 41, "David Bulcock, general manager and co-owner of Rochester Brewing and Roasting in Kansas City, said his business was hit on two fronts. First, by tariffs on coffee beans, and second, by tariffs on metals used in beer canning. I never expected to be an expert in international trade, but I've had to be,' Bulcock said. He said the challenge has been absorbing cost increases without passing them on to customers. 'It's been trying to absorb cost increases without letting it hit our end user,' Bulcock said. ‘Originally, it was huge on our coffee bean imports, because that was not an exemption. Now, later, about six months into the tariff, into the emergency use of tariffs, they realized that there were some things that can't be made in the States, and coffee can't be grown in the States, except for in Hawaii, in a very limited amount. And so they made coffee beans exempt, which was great for us, but that was still about six months worth of pain.’" [KSHB 41, 2/23/26]
- The Active Hamper’s Founder Said The Constant Shifts Of Trump’s Tariffs “Made It Nearly Impossible To Plan, And At One Point, Threatened The Business Entirely.” According to KSHB 41, "Zach Cleary, co-founder of The Active Hamper in Parkville, sells specialized odor-fighting laundry hampers designed for people with active lifestyles. [...] With manufacturing requiring some foreign sourcing for the nylon-spandex insert used, Cleary said the shifting tariff landscape made it nearly impossible to plan, and at one point, threatened the business entirely. 'The changes over the past 12 months of what the tariff would be made it really difficult to plan,' Cleary said. 'There was a period in time where we thought we would have to shut the business down because [of] what the tariff would do to our costs and margins... Increasing your order quantity. That's one solution, because then your per unit goes down. But you know, small business has to have the capital to afford that." [KSHB 41, 2/23/26]