Former Secretary of Agriculture and Governor of North Dakota Ed Schafer rebukes Cramer on tariffs
Governor Shafer calls Cramer’s “hysteria”comments unfair, “politics”
(BISMARCK, ND) – Ouch! Congressman Cramer just got burned by his old boss. Former Governor and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer appeared on KFGO to talk about the president’s tariffs and the impact on North Dakota. Asked about Cramer’s condescending “hysteria” comment, Schafer fired back – saying that he thought Cramer’s was being unfair and political.
“Even North Dakota Republicans are appalled by Kevin Cramer’s blind loyalty to the president – turning his back on farmers and ranchers to prove he’s the ultimate rubber stamp for the White House,”said Scott McNeil, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL. “It’s shameful that Kevin Cramer called farmers and ranchers hysterical and instead chose to side with the president on the tariffs. North Dakotans will remember Cramer’s betrayal of the agricultural community on Election Day.”
Other highlights from Schafer’s interview:
- Responding to Cramer’s hysteria comment:“Um, I don’t think it’s fair. I mean, I think it’s politics. I don’t think it’s fair. I think that, you know, the Trump administration is the one that said, ‘I’m going to put these tariffs on.’ Right? This wasn’t the GOP or the Democrat Party or whatever.”
- On the president’s tariffs:“I’m jumbled up about it myself. You know, I’m worried because it just–I don’t think that the Trump administration gets–as much as they are ‘The Art of the Dealmaker,’–I don’t get, I don’t think they get the complexity of what they’re doing and how it affects the everyday lives of people in our country and the other country that they’re dealing with.”
- On the president using tariffs as a negotiating tactic:“Um, so you know, do you hold your breath and say, ‘Oh, well maybe he’s just rattling the sabers on soybeans and they’ll give up on soybeans if they get what they want over on deck three,’ I worry about–I’m not comfortable with that, Joel.”
