U.S. President Donald Trump stands with Former U.S. Representative Mike Rogers, as Trump delivers remarks on the economy, at the General Motors Proving Ground in Milford, Michigan, U.S. July 27, 2026. REUTERS/Carlos Osorio
Despite President Donald Trump’s promises that his renewed trade war with Canada and his effort to import foreign beef will help Americans, a high-ranking White House source is calling the plans “ridiculous” and antithetical to the president’s stated goals, Raw America can reveal.
That source — who spoke to Raw America on condition of anonymity — sharply criticized the president’s new 50 percent tax on Canadian imports, which has led to the Canadian government announcing its own “dollar-for-dollar” tariffs on roughly $20 billion worth of American-made products.
“Making prices higher for average Americans while picking a fight with a neighbor who shares the longest unguarded national border in the world is just nuts,” the source said.
In addition to the White House source, Republicans on Capitol Hill have spent the last few days unleashing on Trump’s decision to reignite a trade war with the United States’ northern neighbor, along with the president’s intent to import 300,000 metric tons of beef over the next three months. Earlier this week, one unnamed GOP staffer told Raw America that Trump effectively “screwed” Republicans in the midterms with his gambit to lower beef prices.
“How can you claim to put America first when you’re putting foreign ranchers first?” The staffer said.
A separate Republican staffer told Raw America that Trump’s decision to antagonize Canada with new tariffs was akin to “shooting yourself in the foot for no reason,” particularly since the midterm elections are now just over two months away.
“This trade war means higher prices across the board for our constituents,” the GOP staffer said. “If you’re going to do it, why do it just prior to an election unless you have a death wish?”
During an Air Force One press gaggle earlier this week, Trump defended the move by saying Argentina — a leading beef exporter — was “starving” and that he wanted to help Argentinian President Javier Milei. Senate Majority John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), whose constituency includes a significant number of cattle ranchers, told reporters that Trump seemed to be against “fair and free” trade.
“Americans want U.S. beef on the table. Not foreign imports,” Barrasso said. He added that ranchers aren’t asking for “special treatment” but rather “simply want a fair marketplace.”
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who is typically regarded as one of Trump’s most vocal supporters in the Senate, also called the president’s plan to import foreign beef “ill-advised” in a 𝕏recent post to his X account.
“Beef prices are too high for a simple reason: Our cattle herd is too small. Imported beef below market prices will only put more pressure on our cattlemen,” Cotton wrote. “We need to support our cattlemen, grow the herd, and let the market work.”
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), who is not running for reelection this year, told reporters Trump was making “a mistake" by doubling down on Argentinian beef and Canadian tariffs.
“It’s what happens when he has advisers trying to micromanage things,” he said.
Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), who comes from a cattle-rich state, also didn’t hold back. He told reporters on Capitol Hill this week that the president’s importing of foreign beef and new tariffs are out of step with his stated goal of putting American interests first and revitalizing American manufacturing.
“What our market really needs is a stable, America-First national policy,” Rounds said.
In an exclusive interview with Raw America, former Senator John Danforth (R-Mo.) agreed with those Republicans’ remarks but urged them to go further and exercise their constitutional powers to rein in the president’s trade war.
“With many Americans already concerned about the rising cost of living from the President’s earlier tariffs and the war in Iran, Trump’s new tariffs on Canada — our long-time ally and trading partner—are senseless,” Danforth said. “They risk needless retaliation and higher costs for consumers. Congress should perform its Article I duties and act to limit the harm these tariffs will cause.”
Dr. Joel Rubin, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State during the Obama administration, told Raw America the president’s trade policy “makes no sense.” He added that it was “humbling” to see how much the United States’ reputation has suffered under Trump’s second term, and suggested the ultimate fallout could be the U.S. being relegated from global hegemony to second-tier status.
“We are weakening ourselves before our allies,” Rubin said. “We are creating a world where the U.S. is no longer a superpower and we’re opening the door for those like Russia and China to have a larger influence worldwide.”
When considering the international implications of the president’s decisions, Rubin said America’s adversaries will aim to capitalize on every misstep by Trump, while our staunchest allies will almost certainly reconsider their relationship with the United States in the years to come.
“We risk going at everything alone,” Rubin explained. “The war in Iran is just one example. None of our allies are with us. We are now being held at arm’s length. Many of our allies were willing to look the other way after the first Trump administration. But now? They figure this is who we are and that’s going to hurt us for many years.”
The facts back up Rubin’s argument. Earlier this year, Denmark — one of America’s oldest allies — decided to purchase the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system instead of U.S. Patriot batteries after spending the better part of a year trying to convince Trump to not invade Greenland. And in a blow to Amazon founder and top stakeholder Jeff Bezos, the central bank of the Netherlands recently ditched Amazon Web Services in favor of the German Lidl as their cloud operator.
“More than any other time in recent history, our allies are showing how little faith they have in us,” Rubin said. “The Canadian trade war is just the latest debacle. All of these moves were unprompted. All of them undermine our national interests.”
In June, Raw America brought on Brian Karem as our White House correspondent, with the goal of bringing you the stories the billionaire-owned cable networks and newspapers want to bury or ignore. Brian brings decades of carefully developed source relationships to Raw America, and is relentless in his pursuit of the truth. We can only keep doing this if readers like you, who understand and appreciate the value of independent journalism, step up to keep it funded. Make today the day you upgrade your free subscription to a paying one for just 22 cents a day. That’s less than a cup of coffee. Isn’t that worth having high-quality original reporting like this delivered directly to your inbox?
