In new reporting by The Hill, when asked by a constituent about Donald Trump’s tariffs during a telephone town hall, Congresswoman Jen Kiggans dismissed their concerns, claiming that Trump is “playing the long game” and attributing their worries to “fear-mongering.” As the stock market experienced significant declines, Kiggans urged her constituents to be “patient” in the face of the ongoing financial uncertainty.

Kiggans doubled down on her support for Trump’s tariffs even as economists warn of an impending recession and the stock market plunges. On Monday, The Virginian-Pilot reported that Hampton Roads is especially vulnerable to the economic fallout from Trump’s tariffs, given its heavy reliance on global trade for its local economy and job market.

“Congresswoman Jen Kiggans continues to back Trump’s reckless policies, which are wreaking havoc on Virginia’s families. The only ‘long game’ is skyrocketing costs and a weak economy, which hardworking Virginians are already bearing the brunt of,” said DPVA Communications Director Kelsey Carolan. "It’s insulting for Kiggans to tell the people she’s supposed to represent to be 'patient' while they struggle to put food on the table. This isn’t leadership—it’s an abandonment of the very people she’s supposed to fight for."

The Hill: Trump tariffs pose danger for vulnerable Republicans
By Julia Manchester

• “Vulnerable House Republicans are being put on defense amid the fallout from President Trump’s sweeping global tariffs, which have stoked uncertainty about the economy.”
  
  
• “[...] Markets took a nosedive Thursday following Trump’s announcement of a general 10 percent tariff on goods imported to the U.S., along with other targeted tariffs on various U.S. trading partners. The financial environment was not much better Friday, when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 2,200 points and the S&P 500 lost 10 percent over the course of two days.” 
  
  
• “[...] Rep. Jen Kiggans (R), who represents a toss-up district in Virginia, was asked Wednesday about what a constituent called the president’s ‘inflationary tariff policy’ at a telephone town hall Wednesday, according to audio obtained by The Hill.”
  
  
• “Kiggans responded by arguing Trump is ‘playing the long game’ and ‘standing up for American workers, jobs, and businesses’ amid the decline in domestic manufacturing. 

• “I know that there’s a lot of concern, anxiety, and I almost want to say fear-mongering sometimes for what this looks like in the short-term, but we have to think about the role of tariffs and what this looks like and why the president has put these in place,” Kiggans said [...]”
  
  
• “‘I just ask that we be patient with the process and remember the end goal, and I think that in time, although I think any time there’s change, either it is the job front or the tariff front, I think the end goal is the thing we can probably all agree on,’ she said.” 
  
  
• “‘[...] To see the president underwater by a pretty significant degree already on the economy — and that was before tariffs really started to catch fire and attention — that is what should be alarming,’ the GOP strategist said.”