¶ Overview
- McCormick downplayed his constituents' concerns regarding the economic pain from Trump's trade war, focusing on long-term benefits instead of short-term consequences. He dismissed the impact of market volatility triggered by tariffs, emphasizing the need to address the national debt crisis.
- McCormick admitted there could be minor inflation due to the trade war but believed it would adjust over time.
- McCormick praised their use as a leverage tool to negotiate for better global trade agreements. He claimed Trump brought 70 countries to the table for zero-zero tariffs agreements.
¶ McCormick Supported Trump’s Economy Wrecking Tariffs
¶ McCormick Downplayed His Constituents’ “Short-Term” Pain From Trump’s Trade War
[VIDEO] McCormick Dismissed Market Volatility And “Partisan” Opposition To Tariffs And Instead Focused On “Long Term Prospects For The United States” On The Other Side Of Trump’s Trade War. “HOST: I know you hear pushback from your constituency, just like I hear pushback from this audience on the fact that President Trump says, look, short term pain means long term gain. Is your constituents are they buying that? Are your constituents buying that? MCCORMICK: Well, it depends on which constituents. This is still a very partisan era of American politics. If you look at the short term, if you're talking about the stock market, the stock market always goes up and down, reacts to all kinds of things, whether it be p e ratios, earnings reports, energy prices, policy regulation, it reacts to everything. But if you're talking about long term consequences to an American economy, having less tariffs for both countries is always going to result in something better, a better economy. I think long term prospects for the United States are good as long as we get on top of our debt crisis. That is our biggest enemy right now, and that's one thing we have not tackled historically since about 2004 when this incremental change in spending occurred. And we've got to get on top of that or it's going to hurt us.” [American Sunrise Show, 5/5/25]
[VIDEO] McCormick Admitted That “There'd Be Some Hardship If We're Not Careful” With The Trade War And Downplayed The “Minor Inflation” Triggered By Tariffs. “Things that we could have maybe produced other places, but we don't have that capacity right now. And there would be a gap, and there'd be some hardship if we're not careful. So I think he's a smart guy. I think he's he's looking at deliberately at what he's going to do going forward. But they have real benefits to us going forward. [...] I think the stock market is all hypothetical, right? It's going to bounce up and down based on people projecting what might happen. The only thing I'm worried about right now is the backlog of orders, because people are waiting to make orders. That's going to create an accordion effect in the economy, which could create some minor inflation, which is going to be adjusted over time.” [CNN: News Central, 5/5/25]
¶ McCormick Praised Trump’s Trade War, Despite His Own Reservations About Tariffs
[AUDIO] McCormick Thought Tariffs Were “A Real Tool, A Real Consequence,” But Claimed He Was “Not A Big Fan Of Tariffs Overall,” And Expected China To “Come To The Table.” “I get why he's doing it. I'm not a big fan of tariffs overall, and I hope that we can get to a point where we have zero zero tariffs for most of the world. But I think he's been really good at leveraging it to get people to come to the table and actually have that. And I think that will have a real long-term consequence and good ways for us. And this might be the last time we had that chance, because if we lose that currency standard as a world standard of currency, we won't be able to negotiate like this anymore. Nobody will care. We won't be able to sanction people like we've done in the past. No one will care. We'll still be the big boy in the. Market. But but the real power of America will go away. And that's why that deficit is so important. But he's going to use that leverage to get good tariffs response from other countries. We've already seen that many countries. He's also used to get good behavior from Colombia, Canada, Mexico, Panama. This is a real tool, a real consequence. I think you'll see China come to the table, too.” [Main Street Matters, 5/2/25]
[VIDEO] McCormick Dismissed “Whether The Economy Falters Or Not In The Short Term” And Instead Claimed That “When You Have 70 Countries Come To The Table And Say, Let's Have Zero-Zero Tariffs, That Is A Huge Win For America.” “Whether the economy falters or not in the short term. Look at us. In about a year, that's when we're going to be able to tell. That's when the midterms are going to reflect on everything that happens. Because when you have 70 countries come to the table and say, let's have zero-zero tariffs, that is a huge win for America.” [NewsNation: Cuomo, 4/30/25]
McCormick Claimed That Trump Was “Working To Make The Right Deals For Long-Term Prosperity For America.” Congressman Rich McCormick tweeted, “President Trump is a business man. He does not want the economy to falter, he wants it to accelerate. He’s working to make the right deals for long-term prosperity for America.” [Twitter, @RepMcCormick, 4/30/25]
McCormick: “The Long-Term Consequences And The Short-Term Consequences Will Reduce Tariffs Around The World Both Going And Coming When It Comes To Free Trade, Which Is Exactly What We Want.” According to Channel 2 News Atlanta, “Back to the political side, Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick, like President Trump, is standing firm behind the idea that the tariffs will work in both the long and short term. ‘Once again, President Trump is a bold man,’ McCormick said. ‘The long-term consequences and the short-term consequences will reduce tariffs around the world both going and coming when it comes to free trade, which is exactly what we want.’” [WSB-TV2, 4/7/25]