Well, here’s something I never thought I’d say: Mike Pence is making more sense than the president of the United States. And I need everybody to sit down for this one, because it’s a doozy.
President Trump slapped 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods last week after trade talks fell apart. Canada fired right back with “dollar-for-dollar” counter-measures hitting September 8. And the man who spent four years standing behind Donald Trump looking like he’d swallowed a lemon went on CNN’s State of the Union and said what every working person in this country is already thinking.
“I think the last thing we need right now, as our economy is getting back on its feet, is a trade war with Canada.”
Bless his heart, the man finally found his voice. And he’s right.
Now, I’ve been around long enough to know that tariffs sound tough. They sound like America throwing its weight around, and there’s a part of all of us that likes that. But here’s what I can see with my own two eyes: when you put a 50% tariff on Canadian goods, Canada doesn’t pay that. You do. I do. The mom buying groceries in Paducah does. Pence said it plain as day: “American businesses and American consumers pay American tariffs.” That’s not some ivory-tower economist talking. That’s just how it works, hon. The price goes on the sticker at the store, and the store passes it to you.
And what set this whole thing off? The president posted on Truth Social at 1:05 in the morning that Canada wants “the benefits of being a State, without being one.” He ended it with “No more!!!” Three exclamation points. At one o’clock in the morning.
I have questions. Who is the president of the United States texting at 1:05 a.m. about Canada? Has anybody checked on the man? Is he getting enough sleep? Because that’s not a trade strategy. That’s a guy who had too much Diet Coke and got to scrolling. We’ve all been there. Most of us have the good sense not to start a trade war over it.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney walked away from the negotiating table, citing last-minute U.S. power plays and structural changes to the deal. I don’t trust a word out of any politician’s mouth, foreign or domestic, but I also don’t blame the man for packing up his briefcase when the other side keeps moving the furniture around. That’s not negotiating. That’s jerking people around.
Pence acknowledged that the U.S. should “drive a hard bargain.” He’s not saying roll over. He’s saying maybe don’t pick a fight with the country that’s been our neighbor, our ally, and our trading partner since before my grandmother was born. Especially when the economy is finally wobbling back to its feet. You don’t kick the crutch out from under a patient who just got out of bed.
Here’s what burns me up. The people making these decisions will never feel a 50% tariff at the checkout line. Not one of them. The president’s not scanning price tags at the Piggly Wiggly. Mark Carney’s not clipping coupons. They’re playing chess with other people’s grocery money and calling it strategy.
Pence took a firm position against the “Liberation Day” tariffs from the start, and he noted the Supreme Court turned those over. He’s been consistent on this, and consistency is something I respect even when I don’t respect much else about a politician’s career. The man stood by Trump through thick and thin for four years, and now he’s out here saying the emperor’s trade policy has no clothes. Good for him. Late, but good.
You want to drive a hard bargain with Canada? Fine. Sit down at the table like a grown man, put your phone on silent, and negotiate a deal that works for American workers without lighting everybody’s wallet on fire. That’s not weakness. That’s just common sense. And common sense is in shorter supply in Washington right now than affordable maple syrup is about to be.