Sen. Bill Hagerty, R-Tenn., said Sunday he supports President-elect Donald Trump’s plans to impose tariffs on imports from a number of countries, including Canada and Mexico, pointing to the U.S.’s long history of using trade as a means of trade. has been a “strategic instrument” for decades.
“Access to our economy is a privilege,” Hagerty said during an interview with moderator Kristen Welker on NBC News’ “Meet the Press.” “If you think about it, we’ve made access to this economy a strategic tool since World War II.”
“Right now, the United States has the most open market of any major economy in the world. We must look very closely at countries that do not have our best interests at heart, countries that allow our borders to be violated, and that use tariffs as a tool to achieve our goals,” Hagerty added.
His comments come as Trump announced this past week that he would seek to impose 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico, and that he would impose 100% tariffs on imports from BRICS countries if they tried to create their own currency to to trade in.
The threats prompted a flood of responses from world leaders, including a phone call between Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and a visit to Mar-a-Lago by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Hagerty supported Trump’s strategy toward Canada and Mexico, saying the two countries are engaging in “behavior” that is “allowing fentanyl to flow into our border, allowing people to flow into our country, millions of people, people without papers, illegal people.”
“It has to stop, and President Trump will use every tool at his disposal to do that. And I think it’s absolutely appropriate to use tariffs as one of those tools. It is an important tool,” Hagerty added.
Minutes after Hagerty appeared on the program, Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., also spoke to “Meet the Press” about Trump’s tariff proposals, calling them “a distraction.”
“Donald Trump has no idea how to use tariffs to create American jobs,” Murphy said. “The tariffs are a distraction from what the real agenda will be, which is to be able to use the government to dramatically increase the wealth of his cabinet and the friends of that cabinet.”
Hagerty also spoke about two of Trump’s Cabinet picks that have raised concerns among some senators, including Kash Patel, a former Trump administration official whom Trump selected on Saturday to lead the FBI, and former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, whom the president-elect has been addressed as director. of the national intelligence service.
Hagerty praised Patel, who has little experience in federal law enforcement, telling Welker: “There are serious problems at the FBI. The American public knows it. They expect major changes, and Kash Patel is exactly the type of person who does that.”
The senator also raised concerns about Gabbard, who revealed in 2017 that she had a secret meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during a visit to the region, a meeting that is under renewed scrutiny as a rebel offensive takes place in Aleppo.
Gabbard, who served as a Democrat in Congress, is also accused of parroting Russian propaganda.
Hagerty dismissed concerns about Gabbard and said he plans to vote for her anyway.
“I’m not familiar with the meetings she’s had, and I certainly don’t have to agree with every point of President Trump’s nominees, but I’m here to support them,” he said.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
