Cruz Warns Trump Administration on Tariffs: 'Two Paths Ahead'

In a recent interview with Texas Politics, Senator Ted Cruz (R) outlined what he sees as two diverging paths the Trump administration could take on trade policy, warning of the consequences of choosing the wrong one.

“I think we’ve seen some significant positive steps in recent weeks,” Cruz said. “I’ve described before, I think the administration has two paths in front of it. One path is very good, one path is very bad.”

According to Cruz, the “good” path involves using U.S. leverage to reduce global tariffs and eliminate non-tariff barriers, which he said would be a major win for the U.S. economy.

“If we go down that road, if 30, 60, 90 days from now we have significantly lower tariffs worldwide, that will be a very, very good outcome. It will be a good outcome for Texas, a good outcome for the whole country,” he said.

But Cruz also cautioned that not everyone in the administration may share that vision.

“There are some voices in the administration who see tariffs not as a means to an end, but as the end in and of itself,” he said. “And they’re perfectly fine with high tariffs as a permanent feature of our economic system and with retaliatory tariffs being high with our trading partners. I think if we went down that road it would be a disaster.”

Cruz emphasized that such a move would damage American economic interests and hinder global competitiveness. He reiterated that he is actively urging the administration to pursue the path of reducing trade barriers.

“I’m doing everything I can to urge the president to go down road number one and not road number two,” Cruz said.

He pointed to recent developments as signs of progress.

“I think with the announcement of the deal with the UK and the deal with China, I think those are positive signs that road number one is prevailing right now,” he added.

For Cruz, the stakes are clear, lower tariffs mean stronger economic growth, especially for export-heavy states like Texas. But if the Trump administration shifts course, he warned, the impact could be costly, not just for Texas, but for the country.