‘Utahns are going to feel it’ Gov. Cox says of Trump’s ‘liberation day’ tariffs
Apr 3, 2025, 3:43 PM
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs at the White House in Washington, D.C., Wednesday. Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the levies would be felt by Utahns in higher prices. (Carlos Barria, Reuters)
(Carlos Barria, Reuters)
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SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump’s latest round of tariffs will be felt by Utahns through price increases, Gov. Spencer Cox said, but the governor said he’s “curious and hopeful” about how the trade measures play out.
The president announced broad, 10% tariffs on most imports to the U.S. as well as additional duties on goods from certain countries Wednesday in what he has dubbed “liberation day.” The announcement escalated a global trade war and has already rattled Wall Street investors as stocks fell Thursday morning.
Cox, who has already expressed skepticism about Trump’s approach on free trade, was asked about the tariffs at a bill signing ceremony in Salt Lake City Thursday and said the announcement went beyond the reciprocal tariffs his team was expecting.
“We were expecting reciprocal tariffs and that’s not what we got. It’s something different than that,” he said. “We don’t know what the impact is going to be. … For sure, Utahns are going to feel it. Americans are going to feel it. There will definitely be increases in prices. I mean, that’s just the way tariffs works. How long that lasts and what the final impacts of that I can’t answer.”
Is Cox supportive of the tariffs?
“I’ve said before: This is not something I would have done,” he said. “I’m always curious and hopeful that this will work out. I do think there is a case to be made for reciprocal tariffs. … We saw it two days ago when Israel completely removed all of their tariffs. I think … that was great news and yet we still placed tariffs on Israel. So, again, this is different than reciprocal tariffs and so I was surprised and it’ll be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Trump has argued that his tariffs will bolster American manufacturing, but economists say the trade barriers could slow the global and U.S. economies and increase costs for American consumers.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has asked countries impacted by the new tariffs not to retaliate against the U.S., potentially causing further price increases on various goods.
“If you retaliate, that’s how we get escalation,” he told CNN.
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Contributing: Carter Williams
