GOP Michigan Senate candidate Rogers calls for trade war with Canada to end ‘now’

Michigan Senate candidate Mike Rogers (R) on Wednesday called for an end to the U.S.-Canada trade war fostered by the Trump administration, a sign of how the battle may be hurting his campaign against Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed.

“Here in Michigan, we know that Canada is not our enemy. We need to end this tariff war — now,” Rogers said in an ad he shared to social media.

Before that, the former representative noted that drinking a Labatt, a Canadian-made beer, and watching the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings “just doesn’t get any more Michigan.”

El-Sayed has blasted the trade war with Canada as “making things more expensive,” as inflation remains above 3 percent amid the Iran war. 

Rogers had previously defended the tariffs as “necessary,” telling USA Today last month they were not a “one-size-fits-all solution.”

The Republican Senate nominee did not mention President Trump. Since August, Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney have engaged in a tit-for-tat tariff war.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.

The president first imposed 50 percent levies on $27.6 billion worth of Canadian goods in August, with Carney matching those import taxes “dollar for dollar” in early September.

Trump has also threatened 50 percent tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts and steel starting on Jan. 1.

Those levies, and a potential Canadian response, would hit Michigan particularly hard. 

Businesses in the Wolverine State import $43.5 billion worth of goods from Canada annually, with cars, trucks and motor vehicle parts accounting for roughly 48 percent of that total, according to data from the Canadian government.

Trucks, cars and motor vehicle parts are also the top products Michigan exports to Canada, accounting for $10.2 billion of the $21.2 billion worth of products state businesses send to Canada.

Rogers is also not the only Republican to call for an end to the economic dispute between the U.S. and its second-largest trading partner.

Rep. John James (R-Mich.), who is running for governor, said Tuesday he has urged U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer to return to negotiations with Canadian officials.

“We must get back to the table, stop acting like children and negotiate a reciprocal, fair and mutually beneficial arrangement,” James said during Nexstar’s WOOD-TV debate between him and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson (D).

Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), whose state also borders Canada, has also publicly opposed the trade war.

In his new 30-second ad, Rogers also went after El-Sayed for backing tax hikes. The former Wayne County health official backs raising taxes on capital gains and wealth held by trusts, along with exempting individuals making up to $50,000 from federal taxes.

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