WASHINGTON – In case you missed it, U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) published an op-ed yesterday in The Bulwark, warning President Donald Trump as he took office that his campaign promises to institute huge tariffs and mass deportations would send inflation skyrocketing and harm the strong economy he inherited.

Yesterday, President Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States and began to face an immediate choice: enact the extreme policies he campaigned on or deliver the strong economy he promised voters. Voters have consistently said that the economy was their No. 1 issue, and elected President Trump to address high prices for essentials like groceries, rent, and medications. However, many of President Trump’s campaign policies – deporting half of the nation’s farmworkers or slapping tariffs on Canadian lumber used to build new housing stock – would cause those prices to skyrocket.

President Trump can lower prices and address our broken immigration system with smart policies, and he may even find Democrats willing to help him do it, Senator Coons writes. Or, he can enact the policies he ran on. The choice is up to the president. 

The Bulwark: Dems Can Work with Trump – But Not on the Plans He’s Outlined

Welcome back to Washington, President Trump. You’ve got an important choice to make.

The American people elected you in November largely because they’re tired of the high inflation and high prices that followed the COVID-19 pandemic. They think groceries, medications, and rent are too expensive. It’s why poll after poll shows that the economy and inflation were top issues on voters’ minds last year.

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The two policies you advocated most consistently on the campaign trail were your proposals for widespread tariffs and mass deportations. But these won’t help Americans deal with everyday costs – at all. They’ll actually raise prices.

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Institute tariffs today, and American consumers – most of whom are still recovering from high post-pandemic prices – will face sticker shock tomorrow. It will be hard to lower the cost of groceries if you put tariffs on half the fruit we eat. Our country needs to build more affordable homes to lower the cost of housing, but nearly half of the lumber and wood products we import that we need for new home construction comes from Canada. The Peterson Institute estimates that your tariffs will cost the typical American household more than $2,600 a year.