US senator blasts Trump’s tariff policy as 'chaos and corruption'

ISTANBUL

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren criticized US President Donald Trump’s tariff policy on Sunday in an appearance on ABC’s This Week.

"There is no tariff policy. It's just all chaos and corruption. That's all we have going on," Warren told co-anchor Jonathan Karl, condemning Trump’s sudden decision to exempt certain tech products from newly imposed tariffs.

"What’s the emergency we have with Belgium or South Korea?" she asked.

Trump has reintroduced sweeping tariffs under a 1977 emergency law, targeting nearly all US trading partners. The White House moved late Friday to exempt key tech products following market backlash. The decision has reignited debate over presidential trade powers and their broader economic impact.

While markets briefly rallied following the tariff pause, economists remain wary. Many warn the tariffs could continue to fuel inflation and risk triggering a broader trade war, particularly with China, according to ABC News.

Asked whether the courts might intervene, Warren said, “The courts may step in here, but we don’t have to wait.”

She urged Congress to act, saying, “Every Democrat is ready to go. The question is whether or not the Republicans will join us.”

While acknowledging that tariffs can be a useful tool when part of a comprehensive strategy, Warren criticized Trump’s broad approach.
“Donald Trump’s across-the-board tariffs are bad. They make no economic sense,” she said.

Warren also took aim at Trump’s unfulfilled promise to lower prices.

“What did Donald Trump say on Day One? He said on Day One he would lower prices,” she said. “Six weeks in… someone points out the tariff policy is likely to raise prices, and he said he couldn’t care less.”