On a two-person panel with Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Beshear said he views Trump's win as largely an economic statement.
“My belief, and we probably have slightly different ones, on why President Trump is president again is that last group of movable voters had a gut check, and they believe that President Trump would make it a little easier to pay the bills at the end of the month,” Beshear said. “So, do these policies raise prices, lower prices? I think that's a lot of what to watch as we move forward.”
On that question, Beshear warned Trump's plans could backfire.
“These threatened tariffs aren't about trade imbalance. They're about leverage. Why? Because President Trump has been, very clear that they're, about leverage. But the impacts could go, right to the reasons that he was elected and could have some significant impact on that very quickly,” Beshear said.
The governor also wondered aloud about the returning president's criticisms of Big Tech during the campaign and the prominent place tech leaders have now taken in the 1st days of the new Trump administration.
Regarding foreign investments and Kentucky's reliance on major electric vehicle projects, Beshear said he believes EVs will continue to grow, although possibly at a slower rate with less support from the federal government.
Beshear also argued against efforts to root out sustainability or diversity policies within businesses if private sector players want those policies in place.