Rogers doubles down on supporting Trump’s trade war with Canada, even as it spikes costs and threatens to hit Michigan manufacturing

LANSING — Price Hike Mike Rogers is doubling down on his support for Trump’s reckless tariffs on Canada, saying he thinks they have been an “overall positive” for the state, according to new reporting from MS NOW.

As a reminder, Rogers has “support[ed] President Trump’s tariff regime” from the start, calling it “masterful” and “an absolute win.” Rogers has also backed Trump’s escalating trade war with Canada, arguing it was “necessary” because “the Canadians have not been good partners,” even as it threatens to “hit Michigan manufacturing” and spike costs even higher for Michigan families and businesses.

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MS NOW: ‘He’s going to be there 2 years, and then he’s gone’: Mike Rogers’ Trump tightrope

• On the eve of the first debate in Michigan’s marquee Senate race, Mike Rogers released an ad saying “we need to end this tariff war now.”

• Two days later, he toured a manufacturing facility to tout the benefits it had seen from President Donald Trump’s tariff policy. That night, at a barn party in Highland, he was asked whether the tariffs on Canada had been a net positive or a net negative for Michigan.

• “I think overall positive,” he responded.

• The mixed messages capture the tightrope that Rogers, the Republican nominee for Michigan’s open Senate seat, has walked when it comes to Trump. In this battleground state, the president is a complicated figure, and some of his policies have proved unpopular.

• Trump’s standing in the state has been underwater since [2024]. The president’s approval rating among likely Michigan voters is about 42%, according to a poll conducted by Mitchell Research & Communications for local television stations.

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