Reagan Knew Tariffs Were Bad
So What is Trump Doing?
Published: November 7, 2025 •
1 min read
Ronald Reagan generally had a free-trade, anti-protectionism stance, and he was pretty vocal about it in principle. His core belief was that tariffs and protectionist policies tend to hurt the broader economy more than they help.
He saw them as something that could:
- Raise prices for consumers
- Invite retaliation from other countries
- Ultimately weaken U.S. competitiveness
One of his most quoted lines on the subject (from a 1987 radio address) compared tariffs to the early stages of the Great Depression, arguing that protectionism can escalate into trade wars that damage everyone involved.
In October 2025, during the World Series broadcast, the Canadian government launched a big anti-tariff advertising campaign in the U.S. using clips from this radio address. The campaign was aimed at criticizing new U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods during the escalating U.S.–Canada trade dispute and angered Trump to the point he ended trade talks with Canada and later said he would raise tariffs on Canadian goods by 10%.
If Reagan, the modern symbol of the party’s conservative identity, was so opposed to tariffs, then what is Trump doing and why are Republicans supporting him?
