WATCH: GOP Senator Gets Pelted With Boos Over Trump’s Tariffs

Incumbent Sen. Roger Marshall (R-KS) was relentlessly booed during a senatorial debate Saturday when he tried to defend President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

Marshall appeared at the Kansas State Fair to go toe-to-toe with his opponent, the Rev. Adam Hamilton (D). The candidates faced questions from a panel of three journalists, and things got ugly fast for Marshall.

“Do you think the president’s tariff policies have worked, and are you concerned about long-term ramifications to America’s global standing in agriculture?” asked David Bergmeier with the High Plains Journal.

Marshall thanked him for the question, then quipped, “Maybe someone can give us a K-State update here in a second,” referring to the football game underway against Washington State. The audience was not amused.

Marshall then tried to answer over the percolating ruckus.

“But look, look, you know, these tariffs were meant to bring manufacturing jobs home and to improve our exports, and guess what? It’s working.”

At that, the crowd erupted with shouts and boos.

“Let me give you an example. Let me give you an example,” Marshall repeated. The crowd piped down as he answered.

“Right here in Reno County, Reno County lost 1,700 manufacturing jobs over the last two decades, 1,700. I was tired of seeing manufacturing jobs leave Kansas. Now if you go to Superior Boiler here in Hutchison, they’re going to add 100 jobs. As I go across the state, we went to 120 stops last month alone. Everywhere, we saw manufacturing was growing, and by the way, exports are as well. But you know, tariffs are such a small, small portion of the picture here.”

More loud boos.

“When it comes to American — I don’t understand why people don’t care about American manufacturing jobs,” Marshall scoffed, to more boos.

Earlier this week, President Donald trump threatened to bar Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier from selling its planes in the U.S., despite the company employing hundreds of workers at its major U.S. operation in Kansas.

Marshall continued:

Look, you can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results! So we’re seeing that these, you’ll talk about the tariffs they’re helping out [unintelligible]. Does anybody really care that corn exports are up 50% over the last two years? The corn prices are now, we’re $5 a bushel. Wheat’s over 8, soybeans $13. Look, these tariffs are working. We’re expanding our export markets because of them!

Chants of “Shame on you!” broke out when Marshall took a question on his controversial medical debt collection practices that sued 700 patients for debts. Some of the lawsuits against new mothers and people in poverty-striken areas led to arrests and wage garnishments.

“Those were common, common business practices,” Marshall said over the chants..

Watch above via KWCH 12 in Wichita.

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