President Donald Trump’s (R) latest round of tariffs on imports from 180 countries and territories has created a divide in Texas’ political debate. Republicans like Rep. Wesley Hunt (R) have praise the new wave of tariffs, but San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg has condemned the tariffs as a financial burden on working families.
Rep. Hunt, in a recent interview on Fox Business, praised the new tariffs, arguing that “President Trump is restoring fairness and strength to the global stage on behalf of the American people.” “‘America First’ is not about isolation – it’s about liberation,” he added.
However, Mayor Nirenberg criticized the president for implementing new tariffs, calling them a direct threat to Texas jobs and economic stability, especially in trade-dependent cities like San Antonio.
“President Trump ignored the warnings from leading economists, U.S. manufacturing executives, and business and community leaders from Texas,” Mayor Nirenberg said in a statement. “Today’s actions mean higher prices for San Antonio families already struggling with inflation. This is a tax that threatens the very livelihood of families in a state where trade supports one out of every five jobs.”
— Mayor Ron Nirenberg (@Ron_Nirenberg) April 3, 2025
Mayor Nirenberg also pointed to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which President Trump previously championed, arguing that it helped lift Texas families into the middle class and brought billions in manufacturing investments.
He called on Senators John Cornyn (R) and Ted Cruz (R) to oppose the tariffs, urging them “to use the power of Congress to rein in reckless and job-killing tariffs and stand up for San Antonio working families.”
In a recent interview, Senator Cruz shared his support for the new tariffs, adding that he has urged the president to focus on China and reciprocity. On China, Senator Cruz explained that "everything we can do to delink our economy from China's economy is good for American national security and economic security."
On reciprocity, the Texas opined, "I believe in free trade and reciprocity puts a downward ratchet on any tariffs that are imposed by the administration because if another country doesn't like it, they have a path in front of them, which is to lower the tariffs they have on American goods, which in turn will lower the tariffs we have on theirs."
