Laurie Buckhout Supported Tariffs And Defended Trade Policies Claiming The Tariffs Would Lead To Lower Prices

2026: Buckhout Supported Tariffs

2026: Buckhout Supported Tariffs. “At a First Congressional District GOP primary debate on Feb. 19, held by WNCT, the discussion of tariffs, now made more relevant by the US Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s emergency authority to implement them, took center stage. Of the five candidates vying to challenge Democratic incumbent US Rep. Don Davis in the general election, four of them — Laurie Buckhout, a former Army colonel; Asa Buck, the Carteret County sheriff; Eric Rouse, a Lenoir County commissioner; and state Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck County — participated in the debate. […] Laurie Buckhout, who won the Republican primary for the same district in 2024, kicked off the discussion. ‘I think that tariffs are a temporary measure to address a trade imbalance that previous Democratic presidents have been putting into practice that have put us in a really terrible position in terms of tariffing our goods at ridiculous rates while allowing other nations to pour their cheap and un-tariffed products into America,’ said Buckhout. ‘It’s time that we level the playing field, and I know that President Trump is doing that. And it takes some time to level the playing field; we have been playing at a disadvantage for so long.’ Buckhout praised Trump’s success with European countries and Canada, calling him a ‘master negotiator.’ She emphasized her belief in staying the course, stating that ‘we are going to come out on top,’ but it takes some time to get there.” [The Carolina Journal, 2/20/26]

Buckhout: “I Think That Tariffs Are A Temporary Measure To Address A Trade Imbalance That Previous Democratic Presidents Have Been Putting Into Practice That Have Put Us In A Really Terrible Position In Terms Of Tariffing Our Goods At Ridiculous Rates While Allowing Other Nations To Pour Their Cheap And Un-Tariffed Products Into America.” “At a First Congressional District GOP primary debate on Feb. 19, held by WNCT, the discussion of tariffs, now made more relevant by the US Supreme Court’s Feb. 20 decision to strike down President Donald Trump’s emergency authority to implement them, took center stage. Of the five candidates vying to challenge Democratic incumbent US Rep. Don Davis in the general election, four of them — Laurie Buckhout, a former Army colonel; Asa Buck, the Carteret County sheriff; Eric Rouse, a Lenoir County commissioner; and state Sen. Bobby Hanig of Currituck County — participated in the debate. […] Laurie Buckhout, who won the Republican primary for the same district in 2024, kicked off the discussion. ‘I think that tariffs are a temporary measure to address a trade imbalance that previous Democratic presidents have been putting into practice that have put us in a really terrible position in terms of tariffing our goods at ridiculous rates while allowing other nations to pour their cheap and un-tariffed products into America,’ said Buckhout. ‘It’s time that we level the playing field, and I know that President Trump is doing that. And it takes some time to level the playing field; we have been playing at a disadvantage for so long.’ Buckhout praised Trump’s success with European countries and Canada, calling him a ‘master negotiator.’ She emphasized her belief in staying the course, stating that ‘we are going to come out on top,’ but it takes some time to get there.” [The Carolina Journal, 2/20/26]
Buckhout On Tariffs: “It Is About Leveling The Playing Field, And The Folks That I Talk To Understand That Sometimes There Has To Be Some Short-Term Pinch In Order To Affect A Long-Term Gain And Level The Playing Field So That We Can Have Equality Across Our Markets With Regard To Our Crops And Commodities That Are Being Sold.” “Buckhout praised Trump’s success with European countries and Canada, calling him a ‘master negotiator.’ She emphasized her belief in staying the course, stating that ‘we are going to come out on top,’ but it takes some time to get there. ‘It’s not what I say to farmers, it’s what I hear farmers say to me,’ said Buckhout. ‘The farmers that I talk to they tell me that they understand what the president is doing. It is about leveling the playing field, and the folks that I talk to understand that sometimes there has to be some short-term pinch in order to affect a long-term gain and level the playing field so that we can have equality across our markets with regard to our crops and commodities that are being sold.’” [The Carolina Journal, 2/20/26]
Reflector Headline: “GOP Candidates In North Carolina’s 1st Back Trump Tariffs.” [Reflector, 2/24/26]

2026: Buckhout’s Message To North Carolina Farmers Suffering From Tariffs Was To Wait For Trade Deals To Be Finalized

VIDEO: Buckhout’s Message To North Carolina Farmers Suffering From Tariffs Was To Wait Longer For Trade Deals To Be Finalized. MODERATOR: “And this is Buckhout again. We are starting with you. What do you say to farmers who feel these policies are hurting their livelihood? You have 60 seconds.” BUCKHOUT: “You know, I think that the tariffs are a temporary measure to address a trade imbalance that previous Democrat presidents have been putting into practice that have put us in a really terrible position in terms of tariffing our goods, it at ridiculous rates, while allowing other nations to pour their their cheap and their untariffed products into America, agricultural engineering products and all sorts of, you know, household words, etc. It's time that we level the playing field. And I know that President Trump is doing that, and it takes some time to level that playing field. We have been playing at a disadvantage for so long. I know he's having great successes with European countries. He's had success with Canada, and it's something that I believe we need to stay the course to even it out. President Trump is a master negotiator, and we're going to come out on top, and it takes a little bit of time to get there.” [WNCT NC-01 GOP Candidate Debate, 2:59, 2/19/26] (VIDEO)

Buckhout Said It Would Take “Some Time” To Level The “Playing Field.” “During Thursday’s 1st Congressional District debate, three of the four GOP candidates on stage acknowledged the financial pain local farmers are feeling. But all four of them supported keeping the tariffs in place, saying they trusted Trump’s vision. […] ‘It's time that we level the playing field,’ candidate Laurie Buckhout said. ‘And I know that President Trump is doing that, and it takes some time.’” [WRAL News, 2/20/26]

2026: Buckhout Said Tariffs Would Lead To Prices Going Down

VIDEO: Buckhout: “The America First Agenda, The Tariffs Are Going To Lead To Prices Going Down On The Products That We Need, And Putting Americans Back To Work Are Going To Lead To Prices Going Down.” “Thank you. You know there are a couple issues there. Number one, government doesn't have a big government, doesn't have a revenue problem, that has a spending problem. You have to stop the spending that's bleeding America's dry, and that's taking money out of their pockets in terms of taxes, every time you turn around the drill, baby drill, actually getting back to American energy, we're beginning to feel the effects of that as gas prices go down that other prices associated with products, with transportation, et cetera, those go down. The America first agenda, the tariffs are going to lead to prices going down on the products that we need, and putting Americans back to work are going to lead to prices going down. So everything that the America first agenda right now is doing is absolutely on track. We need to continue on that area, bringing back American energy, bringing back American jobs, and making sure that people can keep their money in their pockets, instead of giving it to egregious taxes to play to pay for people who are not even citizens.” [WNCT NC-01 GOP Candidate Debate, 16:56, 2/19/26] (VIDEO)

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