From the HERE City State Desk
Mike Rogers, the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate in Michigan, is breaking with President Donald Trump on trade, calling for an end to the tariff war with Canada in a new television ad.
In the 30-second spot, filmed in a sports bar, Rogers says Michigan knows Canada is not its enemy and that the tariff fight needs to end now. He promises to bring both parties together to lower prices. The ad shows the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit and Windsor, and opens with Rogers holding a Labatt, a Canadian beer, while watching the Red Wings.
Rogers did not use the president’s name in the ad, but it is a clear reference to the 50% tariffs on about $20 billion in Canadian goods. Asked about it in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said he viewed the ad as Rogers wanting Canada to make a deal, and repeated his view that Canada has taken advantage of the U.S. on trade.
The message marks a shift. Rogers earlier backed the tariffs and said this summer that Canadian car exports into Michigan undercut auto workers. In August he called tariffs necessary but not a one-size-fits-all solution.
Rogers faces Democrat Abdul El-Sayed, a former public health official who has long criticized the tariffs, for the seat held by retiring Democratic Sen. Gary Peters. Democrats need a net gain of four seats to win the Senate majority.
