Whether it is a year and a half or five and a half years from now, eventually Donald Trump will not be president of the United States. A key legacy of this president will be his ability to unilaterally impose tariffs (i.e. taxes on American customers) for any purpose, at any time, and without Republican opposition.

Historically, the Republican Party has been a reliable and proud advocate for free trade. At the dawn of the century, the official party platform stated "Republicans are confident that the worldwide trade agenda is full of promise. Tariffs should be cut further."

Today, the Republican Party is no longer the free trade party. It has acquiesced to the radical and reckless trade policies of this administration and no longer has any credibility to tout the virtues of free trade.

That acquiescence is documented in Republican elected officials' reactions to President Trump's threatened or imposed tariffs. The response usually starts with the phrase, "I don't like tariffs but…" Then, insert whatever excuse the official finds most topical, including, "but China cheats," or "but it's worth the price," or "but we need to address the issue at the border."

Yale educated Missouri Senator Josh Hawley offered one of the most confused and twisted rationalizations when he said, "It doesn't necessarily mean you're against free trade. It just means you've got to take the long view of what free trade looks like."

Frank Markiewicz famously said, "Ignore everything a politician says before the word but." The real reason GOP members of Congress are not passing legislation to stop tariffs from being weaponized is that, when it comes to this president, they have no principles. What they are really saying is, "I don't like tariffs, but the president can do whatever he wants without criticism from me."