President Donald Trump acknowledged in his address to Congress Tuesday that his tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China will cause “a little disturbance” in the economy, but insisted that people will be okay, prompting several Democratic lawmakers to criticize the president and accuse him of downplaying people’s economic pain.
President Donald Trump addresses a joint session of Congress at the Capitol in Washington.
In his speech to Congress, Trump said, “Tariffs are about making America rich again and making America great again, and it’s happening and it will be happening rather quickly.”
The president then conceded there “will be a little disturbance, but we are okay with that,” and added: “It won’t be much.”
Trump’s comments were made a day after his sweeping tariffs on imports from Canada, Mexico and China went into effect, triggering turmoil in the stock markets.
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Shortly after his speech ended, several Democratic lawmakers latched on to the “little disturbance” remark to attack Trump. In a post on X, Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, shared a montage of headlines about Trump’s tariffs raising consumer prices and wrote: “Can’t afford groceries? Donald Trump thinks that is ‘a little disturbance.’” In a separate post from his personal handle, the Senator mocked the “little disturbance” saying it was a “genuinely Soviet way to describe people not being able to afford their groceries.” Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., tweeted that Trump was “admitting his tariff trade war will raise prices and hurt American businesses.” She then claimed the “disturbance” will equate to a “cost increase of $1600 - $2000 for average American families annually.” Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Calif., described the line as Trump’s “let them eat cake” moment. In an X post, Rep. Nydia Velazquez, D-N.Y., wrote that for a “billionaire like Trump, tariffs might be a ‘little disturbance’, but for working families they will be a disaster.” Rep. Gabe Amo, D-R.I., wrote on X: “Unbelievable that Trump just called these price hikes ‘a little disturbance,’” with an earlier post mentioning the various price increases that will be triggered by the tariffs.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., delivered the Democratic party’s rebuttal to Trump’s address, where she accused the president of trying to “deliver an unprecedented giveaway to his billionaire friends,” while trying to make Americans pay “in every part of your life.” Slotkin noted that grocery and home prices were “going up, not down” and Trump has “not laid a credible plan to deal with either of those.” Slotkin then mentioned Trump’s tariffs, saying the levies on Canadian imports will “raise prices on energy, lumber and cars,” while starting a “trade war that will hurt manufacturing and farmers.” The senator then warned that people’s “premiums and prescriptions will cost more, because the math on his proposals doesn't work without going after your healthcare.”
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