Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee defended the Trump administration's trade tariffs as a necessary move to eventually make all trade free and fair.
During an appearance on Fox Business Network's "Mornings With Maria" Friday, the two-time presidential candidate said the tariff efforts have a long-term goal.
"The goal of the president is not short run, it is long run. His ultimate goal — he's said this so many times and I can't believe that people don't remind themselves of it — is to have no tariffs. Period. True free trade, which we don't have," Huckabee said.
"It's to stop people from stealing intellectual property, to stop people from violating the trade agreements and dumping things onto the market to undercut American manufacturers, suppliers, and providers."
Huckabee added that President Donald Trump is not cowed by anyone and stands his ground until he gets what he wants.
"This is not a guy who blinks. He goes into a fight and he stays there and pummels the other side until they give up," Huckabee said.
Trump's tariffs from China, Canada, and the European Union have resulted in retaliatory tariffs by the other side, but so far Trump has stood firm and not backed away.
Critics of the tariffs say they are creating a trade war that is costing American jobs.
"You are seeing a lot of those sectors, agriculture is a good example of it, who do understand that yes, we're taking a bit of a hit right now, but the administration is doing everything possible to try to ameliorate some of those concerns and some of those challenges and issues and pains," Huckabee said.
Huckabee urged companies who are being impacted by tariffs placed on U.S. goods to "stay in the boat" and try to ride out the storm.
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