Thomas Massie

Unfortunately, some are doing the opposite. Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is a prime example. Despite his reputation as a libertarian, Massie has called the tariff rollback a “slap in the face to American cattlemen & consumers” and “Worse than socialism!”

Apparently, people having the freedom to make exchanges without impediment is much worse than the state dictating them to us. It would be better to make goods more expensive in order to protect our favored producers. While we are at it, we should block out the sun to protect our lighting industry.

Jokes aside, Massie has opposed tariffs in the past. But now, he suddenly supports them as soon as Trump has a change of mind. His revolt against the president is well known. Perhaps he is one of many suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome.

The behavior extends beyond Massie. Last year, a Politico poll found that a disturbing number of voters can be persuaded to support a policy based on which party, and especially if Trump, is the one proposing it. If support for policies can be determined by what others happen to think of them, it makes sense that opposition to them can work the same way. Who else remembers how the parties flipped on banning TikTok aligned with Trump’s changing opinions on it?

This kind of contrarianism is in no way beneficial. Tariffs are not good or bad based on Trump’s opinion on them, but based on the effect they have on the economy and our lives. Opposing something based merely on his support does just as much to feed the personality cult as supporting something based merely on his support does.

Also noteworthy is that by ending the beef tariff, Trump has indirectly admitted that such restrictions come with harm. This is a glimmer of hope. Amid the rise of economic interventionism on all fronts, Trump has chosen the free market in contradiction of his prior record. This should not be opposed just to continue “resisting” or whatever it is the contrarians say they’re doing. Like all humans, Trump is capable of getting things right, as well as wrong.

Thank Trump for siding with economic freedom. Encourage him to keep it up. Tell the contrarians to go do something constructive.