Politics & Government

Keep your tariffs off my Mexican tequila and Corona, Sen. Graham warns Trump

By Brian Murphy

bmurphy@mcclatchy.com

January 26, 2017 06:30 PM

Senate Armed Services Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. speaks on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, during the committee's hearing: "Foreign Cyber Threats to the United States." Evan Vucci AP

President Donald Trump’s spokesman suggested Thursday that a 20 percent tax on imports from Mexico could be the way that the nation pays for Trump’s promised border wall between Mexico and the United States.

The proposal, later walked back by White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer, generated all sorts of attention, including from critics who pointed out that in the end American consumers would be paying for the border wall that Trump promised throughout his campaign that Mexico would pay for. The Washington Post pointed out Americans would need to buy 25 billion avocados.

But few had a better response than Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.

January 26, 2017
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Graham was one of the Republicans candidates that Trump defeated in the primary. He has also been a consistent foil for the president. Graham joked that he might be on Trump’s “kill list.”

“I don’t know if I’m on the kill list or not, that would be good to know,” Graham told CBS before the inauguration.

At his first press conference after the election, Trump mocked Graham, a Russia hardliner. “He is going to crack that one percent barrier one day,” Trump said, before adding Graham “is a nice guy.”