Jeff Flake to slam Trump over trade: This is ‘not grown-up leadership’

Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) will go after President Trump’s recent trade moves in a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, calling his policies “not grown-up leadership.”

Flake on Wednesday tweeted excerpts of a speech he said he will deliver in response to Trump’s trade policies. 

I plan to speak on the Senate floor tomorrow morning to discuss the administration’s protectionist policies and the importance of America’s leadership in the world. Here is some of what I intend to say: pic.twitter.com/ox8HX75lsY

— Jeff Flake (@JeffFlake) June 6, 2018

Trump announced last week that he would impose steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from key U.S. allies and trading partners, quickly drawing criticism from some top Republicans

In his speech, Flake will declare the U.S. is “in the nascent stages of a full-scale trade war.”

{mosads}

“And, despite the president’s statement that this war will be ‘easily won,’ any students of history knows that, unlike a baseball game where a winner is guaranteed, a trade war only guarantees that there will be losers,” the tweeted excerpt reads.

Flake, who has frequently criticized Trump publicly, also warned of U.S. allies’ reactions to Trump’s trade policies.

“What shall our friends make of such erratic behavior? How will they respond to such confusing actions? And, most importantly, how long will they remain our friends if this irrational approach continues?” Flake’s speech continues.

“Alliances, institutions, pacts, that took generations to patiently build, generations more to solidify, that were paid for in both blood and treasure, are shattered in an ill-tempered second, an ill-considered tantrum, a childish taunt here, a bellicose insult there.”

According to the Twitter post, Flake is also set to slam Trump for his “incoherent policy utterances,” calling them “contradicted in the space of a single news cycles.”

“Muddled and mercurial, this is not grown-up leadership. Our allies are left baffled, confounded, often appalled,” Flake continues. “Make no mistake, our allies and those who look to American leadership will not wait for us to come to our senses.”

“If we abandon our role as a leader in the world today it may very well not be there tomorrow.”

Prominent Republicans, including House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), have spoken out against Trump’s decision to slap Canada, Mexico and the European Union with the tariffs, after initially exempting them from such measures.

The European Union, Canada and Mexico have all announced measures against the U.S. in retaliation for the tariffs.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn) said earlier Wednesday that he will introduce a bill to limit some of Trump’s authority on tariffs, despite the president calling and asking him not to do so.