Despite the negative impact on North Carolina, Whatley defended Trump’s tariffs and claimed that Trump’s trade strategy was working. Tariffs were contributing to higher food prices, were hurting North Carolina businesses and farmers.
[VIDEO] Whatley Claimed That Trump’s Trade Policies Were Going To Work For American Factories, Workers And Communities. “Look at what he's doing on the tariff run. He said that he was going to up and do more when it comes to trading shares and that trade is going to be fair for the United States of America. And when he flipped over the table on every single country, everybody freaked out. If you look at a president who loses a major trade deal with the UK, a major trade deal with China and a framework in place in Iran over a four year period, that's a really aggressive trade package. He did it in 100 days. And we have 100 other countries that are at the table right now negotiating with America to bring down their tariffs and absorb cars into their economy. That is trade that is going to work for our factories and our workers and our communities here in America.” [CPNYS Summer Dinner, 6/20/25]
[AUDIO] Whatley Claimed That Trump’s Tariff Strategy Was Working. “You know, the President has been very clear since day one that he wants the conversation on tariffs to be about making sure that America is going to be treated fairly. It is part of a overall economic construct to return manufacturing to America, to create jobs here. And it's working. And we're already seeing investments that are being announced by countries across the world. And since he put these tariffs on the table, we have seen country after country after country say that they want to drop their tariffs. They want to enter into negotiations. Very smart play by the President, and not surprisingly, being treated very well by, by everybody who's looking at this today.” [The Rich Zeoli Show, 04/09/25]
[VIDEO] Whatley Doubled Down On His Support For Tariffs Claiming That Tariffs Helped North Carolina Companies. “Michael Whatley is doubling down on his support of the Iran war despite high prices at the gas pump. Whatley visited an asphalt plant, where U.S. Chamber of Commerce representatives endorsed him. WRAL News asked him why, given the current economic stress, he is the right candidate for voters. ‘We need to have trade policies, and obviously tariffs are going to be part of that, that are going to help North Carolina companies,’ Whatley said. He has promised to enact Trump’s agenda of tariffs and tax cuts in the Senate.” [WRAL News, 9/30/26]
Whatley Defended Trump's Tariffs And Claimed That They Were Important. According to WRAL News, “Whatley defended Trump’s tariffs and war on Iran Thursday — as he has done repeatedly throughout the campaign — arguing the war is necessary for safety and that the tariffs should eventually help create jobs. The war and tariffs have contributed to rising consumer prices, and Democrats have blamed Republicans for the side effects, including job losses in manufacturing and agriculture. In North Carolina, those industries are losing jobs even as the state as a whole is growing. ‘It's going to take time to try and continue to implement this stuff,’ Whatley said Thursday about the tariffs’ impact on the economy. ‘And do I wish it were working faster? Sure. But the fact is that we are on a path right now that is very important. And when we can get the fuel prices down, I think you're really going to see some significant gains.’” [WRAL News, 10/8/26]
Whatley Blamed Increased Input Costs For Farmers On The Iran War “Not Because Of Tariffs” And Claimed That Farmers Tell Him That Tariffs Were Working. According to Punchbowl News, “Per audio we obtained, Whatley began the exchange by defending the White House’s trade policy. ‘When I talk to our steel manufacturers, I talk to our aluminum manufacturers, I talk to our farmers, they tell me that the tariff regime is helping,’ Whatley said. ‘Right now, there are other farmers who say costs have gone up, fertilizer costs have gone up, fuel prices have gone up. Right. But that’s because of the war in Iran, not because of tariffs.’” [Punchbowl News, 9/24/26]
North Carolina’s Commerce Secretary Claimed That Companies Were Stuck In A “Holding Pattern” And That Investment Decisions Were “Hard.” According to Axios,” Lee Lilley, North Carolina's commerce secretary, told Axios that many companies the state is talking to are stuck in a holding pattern. ‘Everybody's kind of got their hands up in the air,’ he said. ‘It's hard to make an investment decision with the multiplicity of variables that are at play.’” [Axios, 4/10/25]
The Owner Of Wise Man Brewing Claimed That Tariffs Would Require Them To Find New Ways To Cut More Costs. According to WXII, “The owner of Wise Man Brewing in Winston-Salem, Mike Beverly, said they have had to deal with tariffs before and this new round might require them to find ways to cut more costs.” [WXII, 4/8/25]
The Owner Of Brewery Bhavana In Raleigh Claimed That Prices Would Spike If the Tariffs Were Implemented. According to Axios, “Patrick Woodson, the owner of Brewery Bhavana in Raleigh, said prices could spike for his company if the tariffs are implemented — from the aluminum cans they use (most of which come from Canada), the malts they brew with (Europe and Canada) and the flour for their popular dim sum (China).” [Axios, 4/10/25]
HEADLINE: Trump’s War And Tariffs ‘Are Killing’ NC Farms, New Report Says [Cardinal & Pine, 7/22/26]
Owner Of MAE Farm Meats, Mike Jones, Claimed That The Feed, Minerals And Products That He Purchases Would Be Impacted By The Tariffs. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘Feeds and minerals that go into the animals I raise and then also the products that I purchased from other livestock farmers for resale all are impacted by tariffs,’ Mike Jones, owner of MAE Farm Meats, told the Carolina Journal. ‘What happens is the suppliers of these commodities are mostly dominated by large corporations that move resources on a global scale.’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
Jones Claimed That If Other Countries Put Retaliatory Tariffs On Crops Like Grain And Soy Or If Fertilizer Prices Increased Then Farmers May Be Reluctant To Raise Soy And Corn Crops. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘A lot of American soy and corn producers move their product through the Mississippi River, and it goes into the global trade,’ continued Jones. ‘If other countries put tariffs on American commodities, then American grain and soy farmers might be reluctant to raise that crop. And if their fertilizer inputs are higher, they might be reluctant to raise it [the crop].’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
Jon Sanders, Director Of The Center For Food, Power, And Life At The John Locke Foundation, Said That Higher Prices Imposed On North Carolina’s Agricultural Exports Would Harm The Industry. According to the Carolina Journal, “‘I’m worried that the retaliatory effects of tariffs will negatively impact North Carolina’s farmers,’ Jon Sanders, director of the Center for Food, Power, and Life at the John Locke Foundation, told the Carolina Journal. ‘Higher prices imposed on North Carolina’s agricultural exports will mean fewer sales, harming the industry’s bottom line and impacting our farmers and their employees. History is replete with examples of tariffs leading to higher and higher tariffs between nations, harming producers and consumers and creating economic woes that can be solved only by freeing trade from such constraints.’” [Carolina Journal, 4/10/25]
Tariffs Pushed Up Farmer’s Input Costs Which Caused Higher Prices Down The Chair. According to WRAL News, “Many goods farmers need — fertilizer, tractors, tires, storage bins and more — are made in other countries and therefore have been subject to expensive new tariffs since Trump returned to office. Farmers have then passed their higher costs down the chain. Food prices are up 2.7% in the past 12 months according to federal data. Consumer prices rose 3.4% in August compared with a year earlier, the Commerce Department said Wednesday — lower than economist expectations but above the Federal Reserve’s 2% target.” [WRAL News, 9/30/26]
Around 1 In Every 20 Agriculture Jobs Were Cut In North Carolina Since Trump Took Office. According to WRAL News, “Agriculture is North Carolina’s biggest industry. It was also the hardest-hit by job losses after Trump’s return to office last year, government data shows, with about 1 in every 20 agriculture jobs cut statewide.” [WRAL News, 9/30/26]
Key Industries In North Carolina That Would Be Impacted Are Manufacturing And Automotive Since Steel And Aluminum Prices Would Increase. According to WXII, “Supply chain experts like Pelin Pekgun, a professor of analytics at Wake Forest School of Business, said tariffs will have broad, sweeping impacts on the entire state. ‘Mexico, Canada and China were among the top imports-export trade partners of North Carolina,’ Pekgun said. ‘Some of the key industries that would be affected like manufacturing and automotive, with steel and aluminum prices increasing, of course that affects the cost of production.’” [WXII, 4/8/25]
North Carolina Exported $5.9 Billions Worth Of Goods And Services To China. According to Axios, “North Carolina is one of the largest exporters of goods and services to China in the U.S. — a trading partnership that is now in limbo due to tit-for-tat tariffs between the two counties. By the numbers: North Carolina exported $5.9 billion worth of goods and services to China in 2023.” [Axios, 4/10/25]
HEADLINE: New Canada Tariffs Could Impact North Carolina Housing, Car Prices [WCNC, 8/25/26]
HEADLINE: U.S.-Canada Trade War Creates Uncertainty For North Carolina Businesses, Consumers [Daily Tar Heel, 9/27/26]
Canadian Tariffs Could Raise North Carolina's Housing Costs Since Much Of The Construction Relies On Timber And Other Building Materials From Canada. According to WCNC, “'Something that could affect North Carolina and Charlotte more could be the housing because the housing industry there's lots of new construction around Charlotte,' Metzgar said. He says much of that construction relies on imports from Canada, including lumber and other building materials. If the tariffs remain in place for an extended period, Metzgar says those higher costs could eventually make their way to consumers through higher housing prices.” [WCNC, 8/25/26]
Canada Was North Carolina's Largest Export Market And Retaliatory Tariffs Could Mean Canadian Buisnesses buy LEss North Carolinian Goods. According to the Daily Tar Heel, “Canada’s retaliation, meanwhile, has also been swaying North Carolina’s exporting businesses. Canada is the state’s largest export market, selling $8.6 billion — 20 percent of total exports — in goods in 2025, with its primary commodities being industrial machinery, pharmaceuticals and vehicles. ‘They’re going to see prices go up, and they’re likely to buy fewer of those products,’ Walden said of Canadian buyers.” [Daily Tar Heel, 9/27/26]