GOP Lawmaker Ridiculed for Insisting Americans Should 'Understand Shared Sacrifice' When it Comes to China Tariffs: 'What a Joke'

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A Republican congressman responded to President Donald Trump's recent remark that girls should have fewer dolls by insisting "American people understand shared sacrifice."

Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) defended the impact of US-China tariffs during an interview on CNN, claiming Americans will understand that "there might be less around" amid rising prices and supply slowdowns.

"Anybody who's ever chased one of these dolls... knows what an important Christmas event that is," Joyce said. "But obviously this doesn't start overnight... the idea that the Christmas trade is already starting to slow down... I think the American people will understand that because the American people understand shared sacrifice."

Critics pounced on Joyce's comment about "shared sacrifice," questioning who would be doing the sacrificing and why.

"This isn't wartime rationing," read one response. "It's economic mismanagement and manufactured austerity dressed up as discipline."

Another X user listed expenditures taken by the Trump administration that challenged the idea of a shared sacrifice. "Shared sacrifice = endless golf, gilding every surface in the White House, building a ballroom, shifting government contracts to Elon, crypto grifting, and having a self-congratulatory military parade."

"What sacrifice are these m--------kers making? People don't care about 'shared sacrifice.' They care about survival," another wrote.

Others were dubious as to the actual willingness of all Americans to make sacrifices, regardless of the cause.

"What a joke," one commented. "These are the same people that couldn't stand to wear a mask for 20 minutes in public and were ok with 'all the old people dying' during peak Covid."

The triple-digit tariffs, part of Trump's trade crackdown on China, have already led to rising costs in imported goods with experts warning of supply chain issues as the holiday season approaches.

During Trump's cabinet meeting last week, he responded to economic concerns by encouraging Americans to embrace minimalism. "Maybe the children will have two dolls instead of 30 dolls, and maybe the two dolls will cost a couple of bucks more than they do normally," he said.

He has since doubled down, naming another spending category in which American children could cut back Sunday on Meet the Press. "Instead of 250 pencils, they can have five," Trump suggested.