“I think it's important to see these tariffs as an extension of our broader foreign policy, trying to achieve critical national objectives. One of them certainly is in the context of trade. You've heard a lot the last week about tariffs at 20 percent or 40 percent or 50 percent in other nations. Those are pretty high. I grant you that. Japan puts a tariff on American rice of 700 percent. Arkansas rice farmers would love to sell our rice into Japan, but at a 700 percent tariff, it's a bit hard. So, President Trump is using these tariffs or the threat of tariffs, in part, to get better deals and open more markets up for our farmers and our cattlemen and our foresters and our manufacturers. A second important context is national security. The president has announced new tariffs on copper. Those are akin to earlier tariffs on steel and aluminum. These are critical inputs for our national security that we really have to be able to produce domestically. And in the third context is in the other national objectives, like consider the negotiations with Mexico, which are designed to get Mexico not just to lower its trade barriers, but also to crack down on the importation of fentanyl into the United States from Mexico when cartel activity.”
Senator Cotton’s full interview may be found here and below.
Shannon Bream: All right, joining me now for some reaction, Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton. Good to have you back.
Senator Tom Cotton: Thank you, Shannon.
Bream: So, you heard the litany of what happened there. They knew of this threat days in advance, didn't share with state and local. The drone wasn't working for Secret Service, although apparently the shooter had a drone that had been working in that area. There's so many things. There was a request for enhanced security that were denied. We have another report out this morning from your other colleague, Rand Paul. And he says as well that there were these failures and more. Senator Chuck Grassley says this, "The report further exposes a litany of Secret Service procedural and planning errors, including misallocation of resources, lack of training and pervasive communication failures." What do you make of these reports a year later? And has there any -- been any real accountability? Will there be?
Senator Cotton: Yeah. Well, first, Shannon, let me join President Trump in expressing my condolences to the Comperatore family. I understand there's a lot of focus on President Trump surviving that assassination attempt, and we're all grateful he did. But Corey Comperatore was killed a year ago today as well. So, we extend our condolences to his widow and his family and loved ones. I also want to join President Trump in expressing my thankfulness and gratitude for the agents who were immediately on the scene, who protected his life and the other lives in that field that day. But I think President Trump is right as well, that mistakes were made that day. The report from the GAO, as well as the Senate reports, indicate that there were serious failures in communications and the allocation of resources. Under the Biden administration, the Secret Service simply was not responsive to the request not only of the Trump campaign, but the head of his security detail, Sean Curran, who is now the head of the Secret Service as well. And I do believe, as President Trump has said, the Secret Service is working to redress those problems to make sure they don't happen again. I have confidence in President Trump and Sean Curran. I know that the President has confidence in Sean. I mean, Sean, after all, put his body on top of President Trump to protect him from further bullets. It's hard to imagine how you could have more confidence in someone that they are going to redress those failures to ensure this doesn't happen, not just f or President Trump right now, but also for all of the protectees of the Secret Service in the future.
Bream: All right. So, let's turn to some business of the Senate. Tariffs are now playing out. And we understand August 1st, there are some new ones that will kick in based on these letters the president, the White House, the Senate, unless there are deals done in advance of that. Former Vice President Mike Pence had some interesting statements this week. He was saying, "Congress actually has the power," he believes, to be controlling what's going on with the tariffs, and that you guys have ceded too much power and it's time to take some of that back. Is there a role for the Senate?
Senator Cotton: Well, Congress, over the years, I mean, it's going back a century, has given the president broad discretion to negotiate tariffs. I think that's a reflection of just the institutional differences between the Congress, 535 members of Congress, and the president, speaking for the nation in the conduct of foreign policy. And I think it's important to see these tariffs as an extension of our broader foreign policy, trying to achieve critical national objectives. One of them certainly is in the context of trade. You've heard a lot the last week about tariffs at 20 percent or 40 percent or 50 percent in other nations. Those are pretty high. I grant you that. Japan puts a tariff on American rice of 700 percent. Arkansas rice farmers would love to sell our rice into Japan, but at a 700 percent tariff, it's a bit hard. So, President Trump is using these tariffs or the threat of tariffs, in part, to get better deals and open more markets up for our farmers and our cattlemen and our foresters and our manufacturers. A second important context is national security. The president has announced new tariffs on copper. Those are akin to earlier tariffs on steel and aluminum. These are critical inputs for our national security that we really have to be able to produce domestically. And in the third context is in the other national objectives, like consider the negotiations with Mexico, which are designed to get Mexico not just to lower its trade barriers, but also to crack down on the importation of fentanyl into the United States from Mexico when cartel activity. So, these tariffs should all be viewed in the broader conduct of American foreign policy.
Bream: But left to the executive branch?
Senator Cotton: Well, Congress...
Bream: For now?
Senator Cotton: Congress can have a say on this and -- and Congress can act. But over the past 100 years, Congress has decided, irrespective of what's happening in the news now, that it's probably best to let the president take the lead on these matters. Not to say that Congress doesn't have a role, just like we have a role in the conduct of foreign policy, through funding the military, through confirming ambassadors and other critical nominees. But Congress has decided, over the last century, that the president, acting on behalf of the nation as a whole, probably can get better deals than 535 members of Congress acting as a trade negotiator on behalf of the nation.
Bream: So, that's -- there is more legal action to come on that particular issue, whether the president has that power or not under current legal frameworks. But you mentioned foreign policy, obviously, that is a big purview of the Senate. It's a lot of what you've done there as well. I want to talk about Russia and these sanctions package that is coming together. We know that Secretary Rubio met with Sergey Lavrov, who now is apparently in North Korea meeting with Kim Jong Un. And they're talking about how they're in this unbreakable pact, Russia and North Korea. But you've got these Russian sanctions package that's got more than 80 senators who are on board with it. It's got a ton of bipartisan support. Does the president now support it? And I know a big framework for that is going after the countries that do trade with Russia. So, how is it enforced if you can get across the finish line and the president signs it?
Senator Cotton: Yes. I think you do see broad bipartisan support for these sanctions bill against Russia, that Senator Graham and Senator Blumenthal have helped craft because Russia continues its barbaric attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine on apartment buildings and residential neighborhoods and hospitals. We have children being killed. And -- and the president has said he wants to see an end of this. He's given Vladimir Putin numerous occasions to negotiate a ceasefire to stop these barbaric attacks. As he said last week, we're going to help Ukraine defend itself from these attacks. He wants to have peace in the war in Ukraine, but he also wants to make sure that Ukraine is defended. Another critical part of it would be imposing further sanctions on Russia, and perhaps imposing those sanctions on the nations that trade with Russia, especially that get cut rate oil exports from Russia that then turns around to fund the Russian war machine. So, the president has said from the very beginning, he wants to have peace in Ukraine, but he also wants to make sure that Ukraine can defend itself and that Russia is not continuing these barbaric attacks.
Bream: Has this ongoing conversation is sort of trying to play nice with Putin? Is it time to, you know, acknowledge in some way that that has not worked? You mentioned the ongoing attacks and the lives that continue to be lost every day. Do you think he wants any kind of peace? I mean, how does this end?
Senator Cotton: It doesn't seem that Vladimir Putin wants peace because he continues these attacks on civilian targets in Ukraine to say nothing of the attacks and the grinding war in the east of Ukraine. I wouldn't say that President Trump has been playing nice with Putin. He's been trying since he came to office to put an end to this war. I think we all know, given the battlefield realities, that it's going to end in some kind of negotiated peace. That's because Joe Biden first tempted Vladimir Putin to invade Ukraine again, as he invaded Ukraine the first time when Barack Obama is president, not when Donald Trump was president, I would note. And then he continued to slowly provide weapons to Ukraine, not in a way that wasn't designed to help Ukraine win two and three years ago, but just prevent them from losing while Joe Biden was still president. So, President Trump has given Vladimir Putin numerous occasions to try to reach a ceasefire. I think what's been demonstrated now to the world is that Vladimir Putin, at least, has no interest at the moment in a ceasefire. The way to do -- the -- the way make progress is what President Trump has done time and again what you saw him do last month with Iran is peace through strength. To make it clear to Vladimir Putin that he has more to lose on the battlefield in Ukraine than he has to lose at the negotiating table.
Bream: All right. Senator, always good to see you. Thanks for coming in today.
Senator Cotton: Thank you.
Click here to view Senator Cotton’s interview.
