BURSTPresident Trump's reciprocal tariffs will be a "bold and risky" move, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Thursday, a day after the president announced the new tariffs.
"Tariffs are a double-edged sword," Johnson told "NewsNation Now."
"But this is something he fervently believes in and has felt this way for a long time," he added.
On Wednesday, which the president has called "Liberation Day," Trump outlined his latest tariff agenda, hitting a large number of foreign nations. A majority of those have been set at half the taxes those countries have put on goods coming from the U.S.
A 10 percent baseline was placed on all countries where reciprocal tariffs were not specified.
Trump has promised the tariffs will bring about "the golden age of America," but economists have warned that a recession could happen.
Some lawmakers believe the tariffs have gone too far. On Wednesday, Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), voted with Democrats to undo Trump's 25 percent tariffs on Canadian imports.
Johnson said he voted against undoing the tariffs and accused Democrats of trying to damage Trump.
"I want to see the president succeed," Johnson said.
The Wisconsin Republican said since the announcement, he has heard about commitments to trillion-dollar investments in the U.S. and countries dropping their tariffs, which he said Trump and his advisers see as benefits despite some short-term impacts.
"I hope they're right," the senator added.