Trump’s Tariff Flip Caused Market Whiplash. Republicans Say That Means It’s Working.

Republican lawmakers are making the case to constituents that the roller-coaster ride the market has been on as a result of President Donald Trump’s ever-shifting tariff policy is a sign his negotiating skills can get results.

Members of Congress, who are preparing to leave for a two-week recess where they’ll hear from their constituents, are navigating a complicated landscape: On the one hand, they want to support the president’s agenda. On the other, they want to keep their voters — including those with pocketbook concerns over the tariffs — calm.

But after Trump reversed course Wednesday on most of his tariffs with a sudden 90-day pause, few lawmakers acknowledged those concerns could be in conflict.

“I think today is proof positive that the tariffs are working,” Rep. Mark Alford told NOTUS. “In the long term, to create stability and fairness and true free trade, we’re going to go over some mountain tops, and I think we went over that mountain top, and now we’re in a valley today, and it’s good to see this temporary recovery.”

Alford said the pause and subsequent soar in the markets is evidence that Trump’s tariff threats are doing their job, but that this is only the beginning. He said he’s telling farmers in his state of Missouri, who were concerned about pork and soybean tariffs, to trust the president.

“You know what I tell every business that calls me? Invest in Ohio, build in Ohio, and you’ll never be tariffed. That’s the most important message of all,” Sen. Bernie Moreno told NOTUS, even as China is already locked in a trade war with the U.S. and the European Union approved retaliatory tariffs before Trump’s announcement.

And Rep. Mike Simpson said he’s been telling his Idaho constituents all along that the market reaction wouldn’t be permanent.

“We knew this would be disruptive,” Simpson told NOTUS. “I don’t think anybody knew how disruptive it would be in the markets, but this will be short term. That’s essentially what we’re telling people, is, ‘Don’t set your hair on fire yet. There may come a time when you have to, but not yet.’”

Trump’s messaging on tariffs hasn’t been particularly consistent or reassuring for anyone with concerns. Earlier this week, Trump maintained that he “was not looking at” pausing any of them. That was the Republican line right up until he announced it via a Truth Social post. And prior to that, White House aides said they weren’t interested in negotiating tariffs with other countries.

Still, some lawmakers trust Trump enough that they’re making the case to constituents that the tariffs will ultimately be good for business. Rep. Barry Moore of Alabama told NOTUS that the president’s tactics were just a part of the “process of negotiation” and that his constituents appreciate the efforts.

“I think that our Gulf Coast fishermen, the shrimpers, those guys, appreciate what the president’s doing to help shore up their markets, to put them back in business, where they’ve been pushed out by China,” Moore said. “And our foresters really appreciate allowing them an opportunity to get back in the market, to not be pushed out by tourists.”

Sen. Rand Paul, who’s been a vocal critic of Trump’s tariffs, told NOTUS that investors are “not happy” and that “they’re getting whiplash” from the constant changes. But even he expressed some confidence in Trump’s negotiation tactics in the long run.

“If he wants to use tariffs to negotiate and he can get lower rates, I’d consider that a victory,” Paul said, adding that he hopes Trump has gained insight from markets’ reactions. “But putting these widespread tariffs on everything is not good for the economy.”

Rep. Doug LaMalfa also said the ups and downs were a part of Trump getting results.

“You always want that,” he said when asked by NOTUS if he wants to see economic stability. “But sometimes, with getting the good stability, there’s growing pains.”

Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart similarly told NOTUS that the volatility is just a sign that Trump is delivering results.

“This is a president who is very good at getting what he wants,” Díaz-Balart said. “Are there going to be hiccups and speed bumps? Absolutely. But this is a president who is doing exactly what he said he’s going to do. His methods have proven to be highly successful.”

Republicans were taken by surprise by Trump’s sudden announcement on Wednesday, but largely celebrated the president’s decision.

Their unshaken confidence in Trump’s tariff negotiations comes after House GOP leadership inserted language in a rule that would prevent members from forcing a vote until Sept. 30 that could reverse Trump’s tariffs. House Republicans approved that language Wednesday, which means that unless GOP leaders put up legislation to roll back the president’s ability to levy tariffs, rank-and-file House lawmakers won’t have much recourse outside of a discharge petition if Trump changes his mind and decides to pursue sweeping tariffs again.

Yet, Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, who voted yes on that rule, said when he does weekly tours of businesses in his district, he tells his constituents that Congress is doing everything it can to keep things stable.

“We are familiarizing them with the tax code and how we are bringing them stability within Congress,” Miller said. “I believe that we’ve been doing a very decent job of that within our district, and managing any concerns that are coming up.”

Meanwhile, some Republicans are less sure. Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota said the pause was “a positive thing” but acknowledged that there is uncertainty from the White House.

“I don’t think the chaos is over with yet,” Rounds said. “My producers — the farmers and the ranchers — they want stability in the trade process, but they also want open and free trade, and they want a trade deal. It’s difficult to get a trade deal completed when you don’t know what the trade policies and tariffs are going to be.”

Sen. Ted Cruz expressed hope that the sudden change reflected a calculated policy shift from Trump.

“There are some voices in the administration that want to see high tariffs in perpetuity,” Cruz told NOTUS. “That outcome would be a very bad outcome for America, and so I am urging the president to go down the path of lowering tariffs worldwide. And I think his announcement today that he was pausing the vast majority of the tariffs he announced for 90 days was a very positive development that reflects, I hope, that same view.”

Rep. Tom Cole, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, told NOTUS that he is “not critical” of the president’s decisions with tariffs and that the situation is “moving toward more stability.”

Cole’s advice for investors was simple: “I wouldn’t sell anything right now.”

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Emily Kennard, Torrence Banks, and Helen Huiskes are NOTUS reporters and Allbritton Journalism Institute fellows.