Republican complains his constituents are 'really struggling' due to Trump's policies
U.S. Congressman Don Bacon speaking with attendees at the Republican Jewish Coalition's 2023 Annual Leadership Summit at the Venetian Convention & Expo Center in Las Vegas, Nevada, Image via Gage Skidmore.
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.) criticized on Sunday President Donald Trump's threats to media outlets and a number of other policies, saying his actions threaten fundamental American values.
“We have to protect freedom of speech [and] press,” Bacon said in an interview with CNN's Manu Raju aired Sunday morning.
Discussing the ABC decision to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show amid controversy over remarks about right-wing activist Charlie Kirk’s killing, Bacon said he does not think Kimmel was fired because of the FCC chair but it was a "dumb mistake."
The Nebraska Republican has been elected to Congress five times, most recently in 2024, and has announced he will not seek reelection in 2026.
In his remarks Sunday, he also drew a sharp distinction between President Ronald Reagan’s commitment to strong alliances and what he sees as Trump’s deviation.
He noted that Reagan was a big believer of NATO and strong alliance, adding that he supported standing up to Russia, which was Soviet Union at the time. "Trump is totally different," he added.
Bacon went to on to say that the president's tariffs are hurting his constituents.
"We heard just yesterday we have a company that makes combines; they're moving all of their manufacturing that makes combines for Canada to Europe because the tariffs going from the US to Canada are too high. They can't compete."
He continued: "That's hundreds of jobs right there. Iowa and Nebraska are really struggling right now with our farm economy. We're not growing farm economy. We're not growing markets for corn and soybeans. The president's making trade deals, but not a single country that I can see has bought more corn or soybeans. And that's what we really need right now."
When asked if Trump "exhibits the kind of moral character you want to see in the leader of this country," Bacon said, "Well, I'd rather focus on the moral clarity with Ukraine."
When the host pressed him on whether Trump has the character a president should hace, the Nebraska Republican said, "I think I'll skirt around that."
In response to a question about whether Republicans need to speak out against Trump's policies, he said, "I feel like we have an opportunity to speak up. Other people think they'd rather try to give them more time. But I think a lot of people share my views on tariffs."
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