Rand Paul’s anti-tariff crusade was doomed — and rightly so

Tariffs help rebuild the middle class, reducing the need for handouts and cutting the left’s excuses for expanding government programs. Isn’t that what conservatives want?

Earlier this week, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) launched a short-lived attempt to block President Trump’s new tariffs. Fortunately, in this case, he lost. Vice President JD Vance cast the tie-breaking vote.

Paul played all of the libertarian greatest hits, from calling tariffs “taxation without representation” to claiming they represent big-government tyranny. He ignored one key fact: Donald Trump ran, and won, on an explicitly pro-tariff platform. The American people voted for this.