Trump touts tariffs, economic gains in State of the Union; Rep. Bynum cites toll on Oregon businesses

WASHINGTON D.C. (KTVZ) -- President Donald Trump used his State of the Union address Tuesday night to declare that “America’s back,” highlighting what he called economic and national security successes during his first year back in office. The remarks came amid slipping approval ratings and growing voter concerns about inflation and household costs.

The president spent a significant portion of his speech defending his use of tariffs, saying the trade measures have brought in “hundreds of billions of dollars” and helped make “great deals” for the United States.

“I used these tariffs took in hundreds of billions of dollars to make great deals for our country, both economically and on a national security basis, everything was working well,” Trump said during the address.

However, new polling shows a majority of Americans disapprove of how the president is handling the economy, frustrated by persistently high prices for groceries, fuel and housing.

Oregon Congresswoman Janelle Bynum, who is running for re-election in the state’s 5th Congressional District, said the tariffs have caused setbacks for local and small businesses.

“With tariffs, we released the Relief Act, which asks for the tariffs to be repaid to small businesses within a short amount of time without a lot of paperwork,” Bynum said in an interview. “And back to January of last year. And so we’re talking about what these tariffs have actually done to Oregon businesses, to American businesses.”

Bynum also referenced her 2025 legislation, the Protecting Families From Inflation Act, which would require the Federal Reserve to examine how tariffs contribute to inflation and impact consumer costs.

KTVZ reached out to Oregon Republican Congressman Cliff Bentz for comment but did not hear back Tuesday night.