GOP senator admits he’s 'concerned' about a Trump trade war: report

An Iowa Republican senator acknowledged he was "concerned" Tuesday about the threat of a trade war following inflammatory statements from Donald Trump, but downplayed the president-elect's comments as merely a "negotiating tool."

Trump on Monday said heplans to impose a 25% impose a 25%tariffon all imports from Mexico and Canada, and a 10% tariff on goods from China on his first day in office. The move is meant to stem the flow of drugs coming over the border and illegal border crossings.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on Tuesday called the threats a "negotiating tool," Politico reported. Even so, he admitted feeling apprehensive about the prospect of a trade war.

“I think you got to see it as a negotiating tool,” Grassley told reporters Tuesday morning, according to the report.

However, he said he felt "concerned about the potential of it,” when asked whether he was worried about a trade war.

“But right now, I see everything that Trump's doing on tariffs as a negotiating tool,” he insisted. “And we'll have to wait and see how successful he is about that.”