Montana Republican Senator Tim Sheehy was criticized after he tried to compare the "short-term pain" of President Donald Trump's tariffs to home renovation, a claim so ridiculous that CNN's Kaitlan Collins quickly pushed back on the analogy.
Trump has repeatedly referred to April 2 as “Liberation Day,” pledging to impose tariffs—taxes on imports—to reduce U.S. reliance on foreign goods. He has framed these tariffs as “reciprocal,” aiming to match the duties other nations place on American exports.
However, many details about the implementation remain unclear and during a Monday interview, Collins pressed Sheehy on his views regarding the nation's economic direction, noting that 95% of his state's imported goods originate from Canada, Mexico, or China.
She asked:
“Is this going to hurt people in your state, do you think?"
“There’s absolutely going to be short-term pain," he replied, adding:
“I mean, if you’re going to remodel your house to make it better in the end, it’s gonna be really annoying in the short-term when your house is getting remodeled, and there’s drywall dust everywhere and there’s workers in your living room. The reality is that remodel has got to happen in order to make things stronger and more stable in the back end."
Collins was quick to shut this line of thought down:
“You liken this to a remodel. Sometimes those take longer than you plan for. I mean, if you’re an American and you’re waiting to see, what does ‘short-term pain’ mean? I mean, how long do you expect that to last?”
He was stumped:
"I mean, we really don't know."
You can watch their exchange in the video below.
Sheehy's analogy was so bad that people couldn't help but point out how clueless he sounded.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated Monday that Trump would unveil his tariff plan on Wednesday, but emphasized that specifics would come directly from the president.
While Trump argues that tariffs protect domestic industries, generate government revenue, and strengthen U.S. bargaining power, economists warn that sweeping tariffs at the proposed rates could have unintended economic consequences.
Previously postponed import taxes may soon be implemented. Trump’s month-long delay for tariffs on goods from Canada and Mexico is set to expire in early April.
Last month, he stated on Truth Social that the extension for Mexican imports under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement runs through April 2. However, no official confirmation of a specific date has been provided since.
