Leah Vukmir and Kevin Nicholson say they support Donald Trump on tariffs

Patrick Marley | Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

MADISON - The Republicans running for U.S. Senate said Monday they want to see the eventual elimination of tariffs but support President Donald Trump ramping them up in the short term to get better trade deals.

“The goal must be — and I believe the president’s goal is — a world without tariffs,” said Delafield businessman Kevin Nicholson.

“While I consider myself as a free trade ... Right now, we aren’t in a situation where we have a free-trade situation,” said state Sen. Leah Vukmir of Brookfield.

“I’m willing to give the president the time to negotiate fairer deals.”

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They made their comments in back-to-back appearances at the Monona Terrace in Madison before the state’s largest business lobbying group, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce.

The two face off in the Aug. 14 GOP primary. The winner will go up against Democratic U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin in November.

The Republicans also backed Trump on stopping illegal immigration, saying they wanted to build a border wall before talking about changes to the immigration system.

“We need a wall or an obstacle or whatever you want to call it to stop illegal immigration at the southern border,” Nicholson said.

Said Vukmir: “Until we have a commitment that we’re going to secure that border, I think it’s irresponsible to talk about all the other aspects.”

RELATED: Video from 2016 surfaces of Leah Vukmir saying Donald Trump was 'offensive to everyone'

The appearances were the latest example of the pair avoiding criticizing a president who enjoys strong support from Republicans.

The two did not attack each other at the forum, but Nicholson last week released a digital ad saying Vukmir was “wrong on Trump” because she called Trump "offensive to everyone" in 2016 and held her nose while describing what Republicans thought of the idea of voting for him.

Video of those comments, made at a March 2016 event hosted by conservative radio host Charlie Sykes, re-emerged last week in an article on Breitbart.com. The conservative website was once run by Steve Bannon, who went on to be Trump’s chief strategist before having a fallout with him. A super PAC aligned with Breitbart has endorsed Nicholson over Vukmir.

Vukmir responded Monday with an ad deflecting the criticism featuring U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, a Republican who represents northern Wisconsin.

“The ads against Leah Vukmir are fake news," Duffy says in the ad. "Leah stood with President Trump in 2016, and she will as your next senator."

Solutions for Wisconsin, a pro-Nicholson super PAC funded by Illinois businessman Richard Uihlein, came out with a TV ad ripping Vukmir for her March 2016 comments on Trump.

"If you think you can trust Vukmir to support President Trump, the joke's on you," the ad said.