Special Poll
Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) acknowledged a reality that President Donald Trump and his allies often avoid discussing—tariffs function as a tax that ultimately falls on American consumers through higher prices. His statement contradicts the messaging from Trump’s camp, including White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who has falsely claimed that tariffs result in a “tax cut” for Americans.
During an interview on CNN with Kaitlan Collins, Mullin, a strong Trump supporter, was direct about the impact of tariffs. “Tariffs is a tax and it will be passed on to consumers,” he said. Despite this admission, he defended Trump’s aggressive tariff policies, arguing that they could lead to better trade deals with other countries.
Collins pressed him on the significance of his statement, pointing out that his acknowledgment goes against the official White House narrative. “What you just said is important: that a tariff is a tax that is passed on to consumers,” she noted. Mullin responded matter-of-factly, “Of course it is, everybody knows that.” Collins pushed further, pointing out that the White House refuses to acknowledge this fact.
Mullin insisted that Trump, as a businessman, fully understands the economic effects of tariffs. “Nobody understands the economy better than this president. There has never been a president that understands this economy better than this president,” he claimed.
Trump, however, has repeatedly misrepresented how tariffs work, often claiming that they are paid by the exporting country. In reality, American businesses and consumers absorb these costs in the form of higher prices, something many economists and trade experts have pointed out.