Oklahoma GOP gubernatorial candidate: Trump’s ‘wrong’ on tariffs, beef imports

Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, a candidate in Tuesday’s GOP runoff for the Sooner State’s governor, said on Sunday that President Trump is “wrong” on tariffs and his beef import plan.

“I think Oklahoma and I are supportive of President Trump and many of his policies. I do think the majority of Oklahomans would agree that the tariffs are too far. That importing cheap beef only injures Oklahoma’s cattlemen, ranchers and farmers,” Drummond told NewsNation , which is owned by The Hill’s parent company, Nexstar.

“I’m unafraid to disagree with the president when he’s wrong, and he’s wrong on tariffs. He’s wrong on importing cheap beef,” said Drummond.

The comments come after Trump’s decision last week to temporarily suspend higher tariffs on ground beef imports in an effort to mitigate the cost for American consumers — a plan that’s prompted swift blowback from GOP lawmakers and cattle ranchers. Critics say that lowering costs for Americans shouldn’t come at the expense of American ranchers.

The U.S. is also facing retaliatory tariffs from Canada starting next month, in response to the Trump administration’s new 50 percent tariffs on certain Canadian goods.

Drummond, a rancher, is battling in a tough runoff for Oklahoma governor against rival Mike Mazzei, a former state senator and state budget secretary backed by Trump.

Trump’s decision to back Mazzei for the governor’s mansion came as a surprise to some in the red state, after signs that Drummond and other Republicans were poised to be front-runners for the seat being vacated by term-limited Gov. Kevin Stitt (R).

Drummond finished a hair ahead of Mazzei in the initial June primary, even as Trump called on Republicans to reject the state’s top prosecutor.

Trump looms large in Oklahoma, which sided with him by double digits in each of his presidential elections. But some of Trump’s recent moves could push some Republicans to reject his gubernatorial endorsee.

Drummond, as the state’s attorney general, has also resisted a planned aluminum smelter in Oklahoma, a Trump-backed project that would be the largest facility of its kind in the country. Opponents argue it would give too much control to the Dubai-based Emirates Global Aluminum.

Mazzei once criticized the plan , according to Oklahoma Watch, but has since championed it.

In his own appearance over the weekend on NewsNation, Mazzei touted his Trump alignment.

“President Donald Trump won all 77 counties three times in a row, and true conservative Republicans understand that my opponent is a liberal RINO,” he said, using the acronym for Republicans in name only.

But Drummond shrugged off the criticisms.

“I sued, successfully, President Biden’s administration 17 times and won. I have stood with President Trump in every issue. As a matter of fact, he’s had me into the White House twice in the last four months,” Drummond told NewsNation.

Trump’s approval numbers in Oklahoma, while still indicative of a Republican stronghold, have also appeared to tick down amid broader frustrations with his handling of the economy and foreign policy.

A recent survey from the firm of longtime Oklahoma pollster Pat McFerron found just 38 percent of Oklahoma Republicans identify themselves as “Trump Republicans,” while a 56 percent majority prefer the label of “Traditional Republican.”