Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., praised President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 100% tariff on Chinese imports, telling Newsmax on Friday that Trump is the only American leader in decades with the "courage to stand up to Communist China."
Speaking on "The Chris Salcedo Show," Tenney said Trump's bold move demonstrates the kind of leadership needed to counter Beijing's global ambitions.
"This is so important because the only president we have had who has the courage to stand up to Communist China — call it what it is," Tenney said. "They have a 100-year plan to take over the world. ... They want to dominate and control, and they use every means necessary."
Tenney said China's strategy for global dominance doesn't rely on military invasions but on economic manipulation and influence through programs such as the Belt and Road Initiative, which has extended Beijing's reach into developing nations across Africa, South America, and beyond.
"They don't roll tanks into places," Tenney said. "They use their trading power. They go to poorer nations ... whether it's Africa or South America or Central America — it's a huge problem."
The upstate New York Republican commended Trump for acting decisively to protect U.S. interests.
"President Trump is countering this. He's using tariffs — which he has the power to do in an emergency situation — to make sure we protect our supply chains," Tenney said. "Whether it's chips or our really important medications ... this is what is so important right now."
Trump announced Friday that his administration would impose a 100% tariff on all Chinese goods beginning next month, a sweeping trade measure he said is necessary to "restore American manufacturing and stop China's economic aggression." The move marks one of the most significant steps yet in his second-term effort to confront Beijing.
Tenney concluded that Trump's tariffs and tough-on-China posture are critical to ensuring U.S. independence from Beijing's economic coercion.
"No one has stood up to China like President Trump has," she said.
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