MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) – U.S. Senate candidate Phil Bredesen said Monday that tariffs on steel and aluminum being imposed by President Donald Trump’s administration are “pure presidential politics” but will hurt key Tennessee industries such as agriculture and auto production.
Bredesen, a Democrat and a former Tennessee governor, spoke with reporters after meeting with officials at Memphis Bioworks Foundation, an organization that supports investment in bioscience. He is seen as the leading Democrat in the race to replace Sen. Bob Corker, a two-term Republican who is not seeking re-election.
The Trump administration is clashing with trading partners around the world by imposing tariffs on imported steel and aluminum, provoking retaliation from close U.S. allies including the European Union, Canada and Mexico. Trump has threatened to impose tariffs of 10 percent to 25 percent on up to $450 billion of Chinese goods, and Beijing responded to Washington’s first round of hikes by raising duties on soybeans, an important Tennessee export.
Bredesen said the tariffs will hurt farmers and automakers in Tennessee and cost the state jobs.
Trump is “playing to Ohio and to Pennsylvania,” Bredesen said, pinpointing steel-producing states that could be key battlegrounds in the 2020 presidential election.