The DNC wrapped a rented taco truck in the following image. DNC officials told Fox News that they plan to park the truck outside the RNC on Tuesday to hand out free tacos to draw attention to President Donald Trump's tariffs and economic policy. (Democratic National Committee.)
"Trump always chickens out – we’re just bringing the tacos to match," DNC Chair Ken Martin told Fox News Digital of the effort.
"Instead of realizing his tariff chaos is wrecking the economy, Trump continues to drag America towards more economic pain, and the rest of the world sees Trump for exactly what he is: a chicken," he added.
The food truck comes as Trump's power to enact sweeping tariffs has come under legal scrutiny. There is also an open question of whether the administration would actually move forward with the harsh import fees.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent previously acknowledged that the threat of tariffs could be used as more of a negotiating tactic or an opening salvo for future trade talks, including between the U.S. and China, and described Trump's uncertainty in the process to reporters last week as a means of "strategic uncertainty in the negotiations."
As of this writing, three separate federal courts are weighing Trump's use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) to stand up the harsh import fees. The plan, which Trump announced on April 2, invokes IEEPA for both his 10% baseline tariff on most U.S. trading partners and a so-called "reciprocal tariff" against other countries.
TRUMP DENOUNCES COURT’S 'POLITICAL' TARIFF DECISION, CALLS ON SUPREME COURT TO ACT QUICKLY
The stage is prepared ahead of the Democratic National Convention at the United Center in Chicago on Sunday, Aug. 18, 2024. (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats are using the truck to seize on what they see as a clear sore spot for the president, and a way of tying Trump more directly to any market uncertainty and turmoil that has come as a result of the tariffs.
It comes as the party has struggled to coalesce around a unifying message in the aftermath of the 2024 elections.
The party has been criticized for failing to seize on Elon Musk's departure from his official role in the Trump administration at the end of May, and for focusing its energy on attacking intraparty strategies and DNC board members, rather than going after the RNC more broadly.
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The taco truck stunt signals a shift in strategy, as Democrats adopt a more Trump-style approach to political attacks ahead of the 2026 midterms, but some of their efforts have missed the mark.
Earlier this week, conservative commentators took aim at a TikTok posted by Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA), in which he is filmed eating a taco in an attempt to mock Trump's tariff strategy, with some declaring it "cringeworthy."
DNC officials did not respond to Fox News Digital's questions on whether the party plans to pursue the tariff strategy beyond the taco truck, or if it sees these issues as a way to counter Trump and his allies with red state voters in the midterms and beyond.
Breanne Deppisch is a national politics reporter for Fox News Digital covering the Trump administration, with a focus on the Justice Department, FBI, and other national news.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/dnc-trolls-trump-tariffs-free-taco-truck-parked-outside-rnc-headquarters