¶ Constantino REPEATEDLY Praised Trump’s Tariffs And Claimed They Were A Success And “Worked Perfectly”
Constantino Said Trump Was “Smart” Because He “Effectively Uses Tariffs As A Tool Negotiate.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “President Trump effectively uses tariffs as a tool to negotiate. Smart!”
[Twitter, @constantino, 1/27/25]
Constantino Said Trump Uses Tariffs To Stop Illegal Immigration. According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “I am the only NY21 candidate who has accurately explained how Trump uses tariffs to stop illegal immigration and why I support him. Thank you!”
[Twitter, @constantino, 2/1/25]
Constantino Said Trump’s Tariff Negotiations Would “Strengthen America Long Term.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “Other countries tariff us like crazy and President Trump is negotiating to strengthen America long term. Keep calm on tariffs and don't forget that we hold all the cards!”
[Twitter, @constantino, 4/6/25]
Constantino Said “Americans Pay No Tariff When They Buy Locally.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “Americans pay no tariff when they buy locally. But, if you're concerned about paying for things then you should love DOGE. Do you?”
[Twitter, @constantino, 4/6/25]
Constantino Said He Supports Trump’s “Reciprocal Tariffs.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “Why I support President Trump’s reciprocal tariffs!”
[Twitter, @constantino, 4/25/25]
Constantino Said Democrats “Fail To See Trump’s Brilliance” And Trump’s “Strategy On Tariffs Worked Perfectly.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “Democrats are predisposed to SUCK at negotiations. Over and over again, they fail to see President Trump's brilliance. His strategy on tariffs worked perfectly, but Democrats actually try to provoke misaction by claiming Trump backs off his threats at times. Of course he does, the goal of a threat isn't to carry it out, it's to persuade the other side to concede. Only evil Democrats want President Trump to follow through on threats. Trump's negotiating tactics often work because our adversaries know that he's the guy who dropped a bomb on Qasem Soleimani's head.”
[Twitter, @constantino, 6/21/25]
Constantino Said Trump’s Tariffs Would Bring Manufacturing Back To America. According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “President Trump’s tariffs and tech innovation can bring manufacturing back to America. I explained today on Real America’s Voice.”
[Twitter, @constantino, 6/14/25]
Constantino Touted Tariff Revenue And Claimed They Were Paid By Importers, Not U.S. Taxpayers. According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “President Trump's tariffs brought in a record $27 billion in June. Despite "propaganda," tariffs are paid by importers, not U.S. taxpayers. The notion that tariffs are paid by taxpayers is false. Here's why: 1) Vendors always look to sell for the highest possible price based on what the market will tolerate. They can't easily raise prices simply because costs go up. 2) No one is obligated to buy foreign goods or anything, other than food which can be produced domestically. We are not obligated to patronize foreign importers or companies with foreign supply chains. All purchases at your discretion. In the case of food, I buy my meat from local farms and store it in a deep freeze. I highly recommend others do the same. It's cost effective, healthier and helps our farmers. At the end of the day, what we buy and the price we pay is up to us. No vendor can force us to pay more or absorb the cost of a tariff. Don't like the price, simply don't buy. This is why tariff revenue is FAR MORE PREFERABLE than tax revenue. Taxes are not paid at your discretion. The government shows up and takes your taxes by force. No one is taking anything from consumers when tariffs are levied against importers. People who choose to buy from importers are free do to so if they please. The importers have to sell at a price those people are willing to pay. And, the U.S. gets a boatload of money in the process. For this reason, I fully support the "External Revenue Service." Optional payment of tariffs is far more preferable than forced payment of taxes.”
[Twitter, @constantino, 7/15/25]
Constantino Said Democrats Were “Whining About Optionally Paid Tariffs” And “Democrats Should Love Tariffs.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “All Democrats whining about optionally paid tariffs love to use the full force of the U.S. Government to tax citizens so that they can line their pockets and the pockets of their friends. Tariffs are only paid if you import which makes them the most progressive way to raise government funds. Democrats should love tariffs, but they don't because they're all dishonest liars.”
[Twitter, @constantino, 8/7/25]
Constantino Claimed Tariffs Are “Optional” Because You Have The Option To “Buy Domestically.” According to Anthony Constantino’s Twitter, “You’re a Democrat fraud who loves forcibly taxing citizens using the full force of the government while whining about tariffs that are optional and only paid if you don’t buy domestically.”
[Twitter, @constantino, 8/7/25]
¶ Constantino supported trump’s trade war with canada
Constantino Said He Supported Trump’s Trade With War Canada, Claiming Trump “Is Doing Everything In His Power To Balance The Scales.” According to the Utica Observer-Dispatch, “President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada is good for North Country voters, said Republican Anthony Constantino, who is running for Congress in New York’s 21st District. ‘President Trump is doing everything in his power to balance the scales and secure a fair deal for the American people,’ Constantino said in a statement. Constantino criticized some of Canada’s trade policies with the United States, arguing that it ‘locks out’ American dairy products and has implemented a ‘near-total ban’ on alcoholic beverages. He called those restrictions ‘devastating’ to many employers in the North Country district, which also includes Rome and the northern half of Oneida County.” [Utica Observer-Dispatch, 8/31/26]
¶ Trump’s Tariffs Were Causing Pain For New York Small Businesses
HEADLINE: "Family-Owned Restaurant In NYC's Chinatown Feeling The Impact Of Tariffs." [CBS News, 5/5/25] (video)
HEADLINE: "New Yorkers Brace For Higher Prices As Tariffs Take Effect" [Spectrum News, 4/7/25]
HEADLINE: "‘Scary Times’: New York Shopkeepers Plan ‘Astronomical’ Price Hikes Under Trump Tariffs" [The Guardian, 4/4/25]
Paper House Productions Said If The 145 Percent Tariffs On China Remained In Place, “We Would Go Out Of Business.” According to Chronogram, "Founded in 1983, Paper House Productions has weathered multiple recessions and changes to its supply chain, but nothing like what the 10-person company faces if the 145 percent tariffs on China remain in place or intensify. ‘We would go out of business,’ says Don Guidi, CEO of Paper House Productions. ‘To have to pay any tariff—let alone the rates we're at—just eliminates jobs.’" [Chronogram, 5/7/25]
Ollie’s Pizza In High Falls, NY Said It Was Experiencing Supply Chain Disruptions In Their Restaurant Group As A Result Of Trump’s Tariffs. According to Chronogram, "‘The uncertainty is almost as much of a killer as something that's real,’ says Innis Lawrence, co-owner of the Ollie’s Group, which owns Ollie’s Pizza in High Falls, as well as Ollie’s Slice Shop, Eliza, Fletcher & Lu, and Kingston Wine Co. in Kingston. ‘No one is willing to make a move because we don't know what's coming down the pipeline.’ Lawrence and his business partners are seeing supply chain disruptions in their restaurant group crop up in places small (previously reliable orders for everything from labels and latex gloves are delayed) and large. ‘Europe is essentially not shipping wine to the US right now,’ he says. With the 10 percent base tariff in place and Trump previously floating the idea of a 200 percent tariff on European wine, champagne, and spirits, Lawrence says that importers and exporters alike are spooked. On average, it takes six to eight weeks for wine to make its way to the US on a cargo ship, raising the specter that new tariffs could be enacted before a shipment even arrives at port." [Chronogram, 5/7/25]
Clothing Store Owner Who Sold Scrubs To Hospital Workers And Uniforms For Local Schools Said He Might Have To Raise Prices In Order To Keep His Business Afloat Because Of Trump’s Tariffs. According to North Country Public Radio, "Embroidered polo shirts have been $11.99 at Jack Yonally’s clothing store for the last eight years. Men’s underwear sell for $8.99. Yonally said those competitive prices have kept B. Lodge and Company in business since 1867, when it first opened its doors in downtown Albany. ‘I have customers that come in, and they might be in their 90s, and they say, ‘Well, since I was a little girl, I've shopped here. My mother used to bring me in here,’ he said. ‘That is very rewarding.’ […] And Yonally has been holding his breath in recent weeks. In gearing up for fall shopping, Yonally tried to make some more orders that would arrive later in the summer. But his vendors told him there was a problem. ‘One of my main resources that I ordered from said, ‘Jack, I can hold prices through the end of April. I have stock in this country. I can't promise after that, because I don't know,’ Yonally said. He said he hates the idea of raising prices. He sells scrubs to hospital workers in the Capitol Region and offers student uniforms for nearly 30 public, charter and parochial schools. With his business surpluses, Yonally said he’s been able to donate 8,500 winter jackets each year to those in need. But if he wants to stay afloat, he said, he might have to implement a price hike. ‘I don't want to have customers coming in here where I have to have (them) at $14.99,’ Yonally said of his embroidered polo shirts. ‘Because all I'll hear from them is, ‘Why?’" [North Country Public Radio, 4/24/25]
Fireworks Company Owner Said He Would Have To Add A Surcharge To His Fireworks Shows Because Of Trump’s Tariffs. According to North Country Public Radio, "Jim Young owns Young Explosives, a fireworks company in Canandaigua. He said given the current financial instability, he is planning on adding a surcharge to fireworks shows his company puts on for towns across the state. Like most other U.S. fireworks companies, Young Explosives orders about 80% of its fireworks from China, which has a stronghold over the pyrotechnics industry globally. Because of China’s dominance in the sector, Young and other fireworks companies say one of the most patriotic events in the country - Fourth of July fireworks shows - stand to be affected. Young had recently ordered three shipments from factories there. One hit American soil right as the first wave of tariffs kicked in. It came with a 25% tariff. He put another shipment on hold because of the financial uncertainty. The last shipment is already en route, set to arrive in the summer, so it was too late for him to cancel the order. He has no idea what tariff will get slapped onto that. ‘It's going to be a pretty big financial hit, which, unfortunately, will roll over to communities that I do business with,’ Young said. Young, whose company puts on about 500 events each year, said he hasn’t figured out how to break the news to his clients. ‘I've wrestled with what I want to say, because I feel bad having to tell people,’ Young said. These import taxes aren’t a surprise. Young, who voted for Trump, said he expected the tariffs would come eventually, seeing how much Trump talked about them on the campaign trail." [North Country Public Radio, 4/24/25]
HEADLINE: "N.Y. Businesses Brace For Impacts Of U.S. Tariffs" [Spectrum News, 8/12/25]
HEADLINE: "Tariffs And Tourism: Northern Border Slowdown Hits New York Economy" [News 10, 7/24/25]