'On brand': GOPer ripped for saying he supports Trump tariffs even if they hurt his constituents

13 July

Rep. Tony Gonzales on CNN on July 13, 2025. (screengrab/ CNN)

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R‑TX) said Sunday he supports President Donald Trump’s threat to impose a sweeping 30% tariff on all imports from Mexico — the top trading partner for Gonzales’s home state of Texas — even if the move hurts his constituents.

CNN host Dana Bash asked Gonzales during her show: “President Trump says he's putting a 30% tariff on all goods from Mexico, your state's biggest trading partner. Will they hurt your constituents, the tariffs?”

“It may, but I do support the president in this," he replied.

The Texas Republican said Mexico has been allowed to do whatever they want. "I am very focused on the August 1st date," he said, referencing Trump's deadline.

He continued: "What that means is that President Trump has given us a couple weeks to try to come up with a solution. And I have seen Mexico change. From months ago being allowed to do whatever they want, to now all of a sudden they are coming to the table," he said.

"If the tariffs come into play, it hurts everyone," Gonzales added.

The lawmaker's statement sparked backlash on social media.

Political commentator Fred Wellman, reacting to a clip of Gonzales saying he supports the tariffs, wrote on the social platform X: "Of course he does. It doesn’t matter if average people suffer as long as daddy is happy. These cowards will throw their constituents under a bus to keep Trump from saying mean things about them."

"Republicans are a case study in how a political party can get people to vote against their own self interests year after year, decade after decade," wrote a user on X.

"'It may hurt them but it's a risk I'M willing to take' is so on brand for Republicans. It really is," said another user.

"They know it's going to cost us money. They just don't care," a user wrote.

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