Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) underscored how President Donald Trump is playing a “long game” to rectify the United States with tariffs, which comes less than two years before the president and the Republican Party enter the 2026 midterm elections.
Malliotakis acknowledged that there is “a little concern” about the nation’s market under Trump’s leadership, but compared this to undergoing some “turbulence” before making it to “smooth skies.” The congresswoman was also asked if the effects of Trump’s tariffs on the economy could hurt her party’s chances in the midterm elections next year, as the Biden administration’s insistence that the economy was fine ultimately did not resonate with most voters in 2024.
Malliotakis, who represents a battleground district, contended that voters ought to see that Trump is working on addressing an issue that has been “broken for decades.”
“Politicians have always worried about the next election instead of doing what was right to get this country on track, and so he‘s trying to fix something that will be prosperous for this country in the long run,” Malliotakis said on CNN. “As I mentioned, oil prices down, egg prices down, mortgage rates down. This is only two months of him being in office and he has already corrected a lot of wrong.”
David Urban, a senior political advisor for CNN, added to Malliotakis’s argument by stating that “other things” would be provided by the Trump administration on the economy, such as tax relief and continued deregulation. As such, Urban predicted that voters will give Trump the benefit of the doubt and give the president “some time,” though he was unsure how much.
STARMER WANTS TO ‘TURBOCHARGE’ UK’S INDUSTRY TO RESPOND TO TRUMP TARIFFS
While some are skeptical over Trump’s tariffs, the United Auto Workers union has praised the recently implemented tariffs on the auto industry, as UAW President Shawn Fein suggested they would bring an end to the “free trade disaster.”
In the wake of the new auto tariffs, multiple auto manufacturers have taken action in response to them, including Stellantis NV pausing production at some of its plants in Canada and Mexico and planning to temporarily lay off 900 workers. General Motors, meanwhile, is working to uptick production at a plant in Indiana, which will include hiring hundreds of temporary employees.
