Beshear swung through Lexington Tuesday to tour Link-Belt's massive crane building headquarters, a sprawling facility tucked away off Palumbo Drive. The company is an example, Beshear said, of the kind of reliable manufacturers who already call the US home and continue to expand.
"This is a company where people come and work for 30 years. It's a steady employer, and it shows you that we're good at manufacturing," he said.
The tour took place a day after Canadian elections seemed to confirm that anti-Trump sentiment runs deep in Kentucky's leading trade partner. Beshear has urged Canadians not to put an economic bull's eye on states where leaders are speaking out against the tariffs, pointing to agreement between Kentucky Democrats and Republican Sens. Mitch McConnell and Rand Paul, but he says the response to our north is understandable.
"President Trump's actions against Canada have been unwarranted and have created an understandable backlash that goes beyond just tariffs," the governor said. "They've been a steadfast partner and a good neighbor, and now, they feel betrayed. Not only are there reciprocal tariffs, but there is a move to stop buying American made goods."
That's not to mention the "51st state" talk.
According to the US Census Bureau, Canada was the destination for $9.3 billion in Kentucky goods last year, far exceeding the state's other top trade partners — the United Kingdom, France, China, and Mexico.
There are exceptions to the anti-tariff mood among Kentucky leaders. Sixth District Congressman Andy Barr, now running for US Senate, recently told reporters he ultimately backs free trade but supports the president's policies, saying they're necessary to clear the way for what he described as "fairer trade."
In assessing what Trump's first 100 days back in office have meant for Kentucky, Beshear touched on disaster aid, but circled back around to trade.
"We did get two favorable rulings from the president that's provided individual assistance and help to victims of flooding, and we're grateful for that," Beshear said. "But this president's tariff and trade policies are harming our families. It's raising costs on every single American, and the chaos of the on-again-off-again is making businesses pause, if not scale back, expansions. And in some instances, small businesses are even laying people off. And my hope is they'll take a pause at this hundred days, take a breath, and reverse course."