President Donald Trump had a "legitimate point to make" with his tariffs on China, Rep. Pete King, R-N.Y., said Monday, even though he opposes other tariff increases the president has made.
"Officially, I don't believe in a trade war and tariffs," King told Fox Business' "Mornings with Maria," while stressing he does believe it was important to take action on China.
"This goes beyond the economy and involves North Korea," King said. The matter also involves the fact China has not been as supportive as Trump had thought it would be, and is a "shot against China's expansion in the South Pacific."
It is probably still too early to tell if China's announced tariffs of $3 billion are commensurate with what the United States is doing, said King, but they could also be a sign Trump's policies in Asia are causing an effect.
"The fact that China is not over retaliating against us today is a good sign, but it's early in the game, and so far, I think the president deserves credit for what's happening in Asia," King said.
King also discussed the president's complaints about Democrats' in action on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, pointing out he himself voted for the bill that did not address DACA, and he would vote for it again.
"The president, but the president was involved in this deal from beginning to end," King said. "I spoke to the president and he wanted us to go along with it. Everything that was negotiated with negotiated with the White House's approval. The president felt and the administration felt it was important to get funding for the military."
King said he also thought it was important to get funding restored for Homeland Security, as was funding for a Gateway tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York, which is important for not just the two states, but for the "entire northeastern seaboard."
He said he does support restrictions of sanctuary cities and still believes the wall should be built at the Mexican border, as it was his own bill that was passed in 2006 to have a wall put in.
King also said with DACA being left out of the omnibus spending bill, there are many ways to deal with DACA without having to worry about a government shutdown between now and October.
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.