Fetterman says Trump is ‘absolutely’ winning trade war right now

Fetterman noted that "Real Time" host Bill Maher was initially critical of Trump's tariffs but recently admitted his predictions were wrong.

By Nicholas Ballasy

Published: August 3, 2025 3:50pm

Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., says he thinks President Trump is "absolutely" winning the trade war, citing the European Union trade deal as an example.

Many Democrats and some economists predicted that Trump's tariff actions would damage the U.S. economy.

Fetterman mentioned that "Real Time" host Bill Maher was initially critical of Trump's tariffs but recently said his own predictions were wrong.

“I’m a huge fan of Bill Maher, and I mean, I think he’s really one of the oracles for my party, and he acknowledged it, it’s like, hey, he thought that the tariffs were going to tank the economy, and then he acknowledged that it didn’t,” said Fetterman.

“So, for me, it seems like the E.U. thing has been going well, and I guess we’ll see how it happens with China," he added.