Joni Ernst called Trump tariffs a ‘tax’ in 2018. In 2025, she’s praising them.

U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) has undergone a complete shift on President Donald Trump’s tariff policies as her state is projected to be hit hard by trade war.

During Trump’s first term, Ernst was an outspoken opponent of Trump’s use of tariffs. In a response video from 2018, Ernst urged the Trump administration to reconsider its trade war with China, contending that is would negatively impact Iowa farmers.

“Farmers need trade, not aid,” Ernst said in a statement in June 2018. “These tariffs are nothing more than a tax on Iowa farm families and the escalating trade war is putting the livelihoods of our rural communities in the crosshairs.”

But when Trump began using tariffs in his second administration, Ernst’s rhetoric on the policy had a completely different tune. During a Q&A with The Daily Iowan earlier this month, Ernst said Trump’s reciprocal tariffs were a “wake-up call” for other countries who had used tariffs against the United States.

During an interview with Fox Business on April 19, Ernst also said 104% tariffs on China were “very appropriate” and that Trump needed “time and space” to work things out.

In a shocking video, while Iowa farmers beg the Trump administration to stop the trade war, Republican Senator Joni Ernst says 104% tariffs on China are “very appropriate.” Every voter in Iowa needs to send her packing. https://t.co/c3SLXT7hOV pic.twitter.com/OqhppwoRdf

— CALL TO ACTIVISM (@CalltoActivism) April 20, 2025

Iowa farmers have expressed concern that foreign buyers of American soybeans, corn and other agricultural goods could look elsewhere as a result of Trump’s tariffs, which could cause permanent damage to the U.S. agriculture industry. The president of The Iowa Association of Business and Industry told The Des Moines Register that over 226,000 Iowa jobs could be at risk since Iowa relies heavily on exporting agricultural goods.

Ernst’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Ernst was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2014, and she is seeking a third term in office in 2026. During her time in Congress, Ernst has also voiced support for partially privatizing Social Security for young workers, supporting the Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE’s) access to private data and calling for former President Barack Obama’s impeachment, labeling him a dictator. Ernst voted to acquit Trump during both of his impeachment investigations in his first term.

Democrat Nathan Sage, a radio host and executive director of Knoxville, Iowa’s Chamber of Commerce, announced a bid to unseat Ernst earlier this month.