• President Trump imposed a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, sparking criticism from Michigan Democrats and economists.
• Critics argue the tariffs will increase prices for consumers, particularly impacting the auto industry and potentially raising the cost of vehicles.
• While Democrats have condemned the tariffs, Michigan Republicans in Congress have remained publicly silent on the issue.

Michigan Democrats sharply criticized Republican President Donald Trump on Tuesday as he instituted 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico as stock markets fell precipitously and economists and experts warned of higher prices and supply chain pressures that could cripple the domestic auto industry.

“Tariffs that are coming down today on Canada are wreaking havoc on our auto workers, our auto industry and frankly the stock market,” U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Birmingham, said in a speech on the floor of the U.S. House Tuesday, just hours before Trump is set to deliver a speech to a joint session of Congress.

Even as Democrats chastised Trump for the tariffs, which led officials in Canada, Mexico and China, which is facing a 20% tariff on imports into the U.S., to promise retaliation, Michigan members of the president’s own party in Congress were publicly silent on the subject as of midday.

The offices of Republican U.S. Reps. Tom Barrett of Charlotte, Jack Bergman of Watersmeet, Bill Huizenga of Holland Township, John James of Shelby Township, Lisa McClain of Bruce Township and John Moolenaar of Caledonia didn’t immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment on the tariffs going into effect and hadn’t posted anything on social media on the topic as of 1 p.m.

U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg, R-Tipton, who is the longest-serving member of Michigan’s delegation also didn’t respond on tariffs but posted on X, saying, “I look forward to hearing from @realDonaldTrump tonight about his vision for our country. Brighter days are ahead as we usher in the New Golden Age of America!”

On news of the tariffs, all of the major stock market indices were down as of midday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average, S&P 500 and Nasdaq having given up most if not all of the gains they had made in the four months since Election Day. The indices were gaining some ground back in the afternoon but remained down.

Trump has insisted that tariffs are needed to force Canada and Mexico to do more to curb illegal drugs coming into the U.S. across the nation’s northern and southern borders and that by raising the cost of imports, he will generate more manufacturing in the U.S. and create fairer conditions for U.S. goods to compete worldwide. But economists argue that tariffs will raise already inflated prices in the U.S. and could lead to an economic slowdown.

“It is outrageous that during an affordable housing crisis, when families are already struggling to afford groceries, the president would voluntarily raise the cost of new homes, fruits and vegetables, car parts and other goods through reckless tariffs,” U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit, said. “(Trump adviser) Elon Musk and other billionaires don’t have to choose between paying their rent or fixing their car, but countless families have to make these difficult decisions every day. These reckless tariffs will be an additional burden on our families just trying to make it to the next paycheck.”

U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Grand Rapids, posted on X that Trump “ran on the claim that his focus was to lower costs. The tariffs he’s enacting today do anything BUT that — in fact, they do the exact OPPOSITE,” adding that some studies have indicated that could raise prices on the average family by as much as $1,200 a year.

“These tariffs will make everyday goods more expensive, hurt businesses and are shaking investor confidence,” Scholten added in a statement to the Free Press. “This isn’t tough on trade — it’s just bad economics. Americans deserve stability, not chaos.”

Michigan’s auto industry had been flashing warning signs regarding the potential damage tariffs could do for weeks, with one recent report from Anderson Economic Group in East Lansing saying the price of electric vehicles could jump $12,000 and other vehicles with significant content from Canada and Mexico could increase as much as $9,000 or more.

But with Michigan’s economy so tied to the health of its auto companies, the effect of the tariffs was expected to go further. “The tariffs’ harmful effects will extend beyond trade relationships and will cause businesses to purchase and produce fewer products, hire fewer employees and increase prices to the detriment of consumers,” said Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of, MichAuto, an association that works to promote and expand the industry, and vice president of automotive and mobility initiatives for the Detroit Regional Chamber.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Gary Peters went onto X on Tuesday afternoon and posted a statement saying, “President Trump’s tariffs on Canada are already hurting Americans. They make absolutely no sense.”

Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Shri Thanedar, D-Detroit, also posted on X, saying Trump, “has dragged Michiganders into a trade war that will only hurt our people and our businesses.”

“This is not ‘America First,’ Thanedar wrote. “Tariffs are bad for business.”

Contact Todd Spangler at tspangler@freepress.com. Follow him on X @tsspangler.