The politics of tariffs are complicated. A Democrat just introduced a bill to make Trump's proposals law.

LINCOLNVILLE, Maine — Former President Donald Trump calls himself a “tariff man” and says the taxes on imported goods “are the greatest thing ever invented,” so it’s no surprise Vice President Kamala Harris has attacked the centerpiece of the GOP nominee's economic agenda as bad policy.

What’s more surprising, however, is that one House Democratic just introduced a bill to codify Trump’s 10% across-the-board tariffs, revealing how the long-dormant trade policy splits both parties.

Tariffs can trace their roots to ancient Athens and other historical civilizations and were the main source of revenue for the federal government until 1914, when the income tax supplanted them. But they largely fell out of favor during the late 20th century as the U.S. led a global free trade revolution.

Knocking down trade barriers slashed the cost of consumer goods and grew many economies around the world. But critics say unfettered free trade also decimated American manufacturing and the well-paid, often unionized, jobs that came with it since domestic factories were unable to compete with the lower costs of making things abroad.

“Other countries are going to finally, after 75 years, pay us back for all that we’ve done for the world, and the tariff will be substantial,” Trump said said this week.

Rep. Jared Golden, a heterodox moderate Democrat from Maine who is facing a tough re-election this year, introduced the bill Wednesday with the aim of promoting domestic manufacturing and limiting U.S. reliance on foreign goods.

“While it is undoubtedly true that Pres. Trump is the first in my lifetime to lead on tariffs, he’s hardly the first one to think about it,” said Golden in an interview. “Our Founding Fathers understood in the earliest