[AUDIO] Ernst Claimed That Trump Was “Fighting To Get All Of Us A Fair Deal” And That Trump’s Tariffs Was Standing Up For America’s Biofuel Producers. “Well, one thing I know 100%, President Trump is fighting to get all of us a fair deal. And he talked about tariffs, Jeff. You know this. He talked about tariffs all the time on the campaign trail. And we have seen it working. And this is an example that some of my farmers have have shared. Brazil has kept very unfair tariffs on American ethanol for years. And Trump's reciprocal tariff ban is standing up for our biofuel producers, something that President Biden was absolutely unwilling to do. So we're going to continue to hold a number of these countries accountable.” [Iowa Business Report, 04/08/25]
Ernst Claimed That Trump’s Reciprocal Tariffs Was A “Wake-Up Call” To Other Countries Who Had Tariffs Against The United States. According to the Daily Iowan, “I would just say that even in the last administration, we saw over a $1 trillion trade deficit, and it has, again, the word complacency. We have become so complacent with other countries putting tariffs on our own. We need to come back to the table with those countries. And I think this has been a wake-up call to so many other countries that have had tariffs against the United States for decades. And so now is our opportunity to rectify it.” [Daily Iowan, 4/7/25]
Ernst Claimed That Trump Had A Plan And That “We’ll Be Able To Execute That Plan.” According to Semafor, “‘I think President Trump has a plan, and we’ll be able to execute that plan,’ Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, told Semafor.” [Semafor, 4/2/25]
[AUDIO] Ernst Claimed That She Trusted Trump’s Instincts On The Tariffs And That It Was A Negotiation Tool. “Well, I do trust President Trump's instinct here. And, of course, those of us that come from farm country, we are we're a little bit hesitant to support tariffs. You know, just right off the top. But what we have seen is that he's using this as a negotiating tool, especially with Canada and Mexico, reworking some of our Iowa dairy issues with Canada. So he's pressing very hard on a number of countries to get them to renegotiate and think about the tariffs they have put on our products. And so what the president would like to get to is kind of a neutral position where countries don't have tariffs on us, we don't have tariffs on them, and it will be so much better for all of us involved.” [AgriTalk, 03/26/25]
[AUDIO] Ernst Claimed That She Was “Not A Fan Of Tariffs, Especially When It Is Allied Nations Or Nations That We Are Really Close To.” “Yes, I'm not a fan of tariffs, especially when it is allied nations or nations that we are really close to, share a lot of other interests with. And so I've always spoken out against the tariffs and I've had those discussions with the president as well. So we were able to move through a number of really important trade negotiations. We were able to get the U.S. Mexico-Canada agreement done. And I'll remind everyone that Canada and Mexico are Iowa's two largest trading partners. We were able to get the Japan trade agreement done. Japan is our third largest trade partner. And then, of course, we were able to get phase one China deal done. And that, of course, China is our fourth largest trading partner.” [Siouxland Public Media, 10/28/20]
[VIDEO] Ernst Claimed That She Never Agreed With Trump’s Tariff Policy And Claimed That She Has Pushed Back On Trump Directly On The Policy. “Well I have never agreed with the President's tariff policy and the President knows that. I have pushed back on him as we engaged through the trade wars. He does use it as leverage and with a country like China it likely is appropriate. Has it been helpful across the board? no. And that is why I call him and say Mr. President, we need to talk about these tariffs. And he'll come back and he'll say, Joni I know you don't like these tariffs buy I'm a tariff guy. We have those talks about what is happening with American farmer and how it is effecting Iowa commodity prices.” [US Senate Debate, 10/15/20]
[AUDIO] Ernst Claimed That Tariffs Were Threatening Jobs In Iowa And It Was “Time For This Practice To Stop.” “I'll be traveling around the county, around the counties this week, one of the top concerns that I do hear coming from Iowans is trade. And I guarantee you every single town hall I have, there is always a question about trade and specifically tariffs. Trade supports one in five jobs here in the state of Iowa. And as we know, tariffs are threatening these jobs by adding additional expenses and putting less money in the pockets of our farmers and our manufacturers. And I just heard all about that in the other room as well. It really is time for this practice to stop. So the retaliatory tariffs from Canada and especially from Mexico continue to greatly impact our farmers and manufacturers.” [AEM Kinze, 04/24/19];
Ernst Claimed That The Escalating Trade War Was Putting The Livelihood Of Rural Communities In The Crosshairs. According to a press release from Senator Joni Ernst, “Farmers need trade, not aid. These tariffs are nothing more than a tax on Iowa farm families and the escalating trade war is putting the livelihoods of our rural communities in the crosshairs.” [Press Release – Senator Joni Ernst, 6/19/18]
Ernst Claimed That Aggressive Trade Actions Would Have Damaging Consequences. According to a press release from Senator Joni Ernst, “With farmers facing increased financial pressure from low commodity prices and high production costs, it’s becoming harder and harder for producers to turn a profit. These aggressive trade actions will continue to have damaging consequences, including an impact on our commodity prices and farm futures, and increasing anxiety among the agricultural and business communities in Iowa.” [Press Release – Senator Joni Ernst, 6/19/18]