Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, just broke ranks with the Democratic Party and joined President Donald Trump on trade policy.
Golden is taking aim at his own party for what he calls a “knee-jerk reaction” to Trump’s new tariff framework, arguing that Democrats have abandoned their traditional skepticism of free trade.
Golden, one of the few Democrats to express support for Trump’s 10% baseline tariff on all imports, told Fox News that his fellow Democrats “are moving in the wrong direction when it comes to trade.”
“The Democratic Party that I joined in my formative years was the party that was warning about things like the World Trade Organization or NAFTA,” Golden said. “It has kind of, I think, had a sudden movement in the opposite direction, and that’s unfortunate.”
The Maine congressman has emerged as a rare Democratic voice backing a key element of Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariff policy announced last Wednesday. Golden pointed out that the president’s 10% universal tariff closely mirrors legislation he proposed earlier this year in his BUILT USA Act.
“What I can say now is I’m pleased the president is building his tariff agenda on the foundation of a universal 10% tariff like the one I proposed,” Golden stated. “This ring fence around the American economy is a good start to erasing our unsustainable trade deficits.”
Golden’s position stands in stark contrast to Democratic leadership’s opposition.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer blasted the tariffs as “one of the dumbest decisions [Trump] has ever made as president—and that’s saying something,” while Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., has pledged to force a vote on ending the national emergency Trump used to justify the policy.
The congressman urged fellow Democrats to look beyond partisan politics.
“You’ve got to look beyond who the president is…to ask themselves what would be good for rural communities or working-class people, or cities like Detroit, whatever it may be – those who have been hit hardest by the existing trade regime,” Golden said.
Golden also expressed eagerness to work with the Trump administration to make the 10% tariff permanent through legislation.
“I’m hoping that I can help the president get some members of Congress to support doing that in a bill and maybe put it on his desk,” he told Fox News. “Could I find some like-minded Democrats for a 10% global tariff? I think so.”
His support comes with conditions, however. Golden demanded that “tariffs must be paired with policies that prioritize American families’ prosperity” and said he’s still reviewing other aspects of Trump’s plan, which includes targeted duties of up to 50% on specific countries.
“We need to make sure that the new approach benefits working people — that means supporting unions, the trades and apprenticeship programs, cutting regulations that hold back production, unleashing American energy and using tariff revenue to support domestic manufacturers that create good-paying jobs for Americans,” he stated.
Golden represents Maine’s 2nd Congressional District, which Trump won by approximately 10% in 2024 but himself won reelection by less than 1%.
“I think that this debate has been brewing since the ’90s,” Golden noted, “so it’s not only about Trump.”