President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs imposed a 10% baseline on all imports — with steeper rates for countries with trade deficits — sparking pushback from Democratic governors trying to shield their states from any fallout.
While the Trump administration has maintained that the aggressive new tariffs will ultimately strengthen the U.S. economy and protect American workers, Trump’s new tariff orders have impacted global markets as Democratic governors unite in opposition.
Govs. Gavin Newsom, J.B. Pritzker, Josh Shapiro, Jared Polis, Tim Walz and Kathy Hochul are among the growing list of Democratic governors speaking out against Trump’s tariffs – and, in some cases, working to blunt the impact on their local economies.
“Democrats should focus on out-of-control homelessness, crime, regulations, and unaffordability in blue states instead of trying their hand at international dealmaking,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
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Newsom, considered a potential 2028 presidential contender, announced plans to seek “strategic” international partnerships to exclude California from the retaliatory tariffs imposed on the U.S. by countries caught in the crosshairs of Trump’s tariffs.
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“I’m pursuing trading relationships with our global partners to combat the pain of Trump’s tariffs and exclude California-made products from retaliation. As the world’s 5th largest economy, California remains open for business — no matter the turbulence in Washington,” Newsom said in an X post.
However, within the U.S. Constitution, trade policy is a power reserved to the federal government, and states do not have legal authority to independently negotiate with foreign governments on tariffs or make global trade deals.
Pritzker, another potential 2028 presidential candidate who has rejected Trump’s second term at every executive order, led a delegation of Illinois lawmakers to Mexico last week and signed an agreement with the state of Mexico City to strengthen economic cooperation.
As Pritzker was securing an independent economic relationship on his “trade mission” to Mexico, he slammed Trump’s tariffs as a “tax” on Americans.
“Donald Trump may want to call this ‘Liberation Day,’ but there is nothing liberating for working families who are grappling with the high costs of food, housing, and utilities,” Pritzker said. “Tariffs are a tax. They are a tax on working families, a tax on groceries, and a tax on other everyday necessities.”
Shapiro, who was on Democratic nominee Kamala Harris’ vice presidential shortlist, also likened the new tariffs to a “tax” and reiterated their negative impact on Pennsylvania families.
“The reality is Donald Trump’s economic policies are making things harder for the good people of Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in an MSNBC interview.
Democratic governors continued to pile on the “Liberation Day” criticism on the airwaves over the weekend.
Former Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz took aim at Trump’s intelligence in an MSNBC interview, saying Trump “doesn’t fundamentally understand how trade works.”
“This is a tax on working people,” Walz added.
Hochul, who has sparred with the Trump administration on abortion and immigration, said in an interview that Trump’s tariffs “are the largest tax increase in American history” and argued they aren’t “liberating” but “hurting real people in our state and across this country.”
“This is one of the biggest tax hikes in American history. It’s not Liberation Day, it’s Recession Day,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis added on Bloomberg this weekend.
Trump has continued to defend his tariffs since “Liberation Day.”
“The United States has a chance to do something that should have been done DECADES AGO,” Trump said on Truth Social on Monday. “Don’t be Weak! Don’t be Stupid! Don’t be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!). Be Strong, Courageous, and Patient, and GREATNESS will be the result!”
Despite the market panic and uncertainty following his tariff implementation, Trump has reiterated that “some day people will realize that Tariffs, for the United States of America, are a very beautiful thing!”
