The University of Wisconsin’s Young Americans for Freedom chapter hosted former Republican Gov. Scott Walker on Monday evening at Grainger Hall to discuss the U.S. economy under President Donald Trump.
The YAF chapter at UW, or the “conservative light on campus,” is an organization that advocates for free market principles, constitutional rights, national defense and liberty, according to the Wisconsin YAF website.
Walker was Wisconsin’s 45th governor. He held office from 2011 to 2019 and currently serves as YAF’s president.
Throughout his speech, Walker focused on the key economic topics of taxes, tariffs and federal spending.
Walker addressed the shift in the perspectives of young voters between 2020 and 2024. He explained that factors like high prices and inflation are driving issues in the differences in polling data.
Younger male voters aged 18 to 29 favored Biden by 15 points in the 2020 election, while they favored Trump by 14 points in the 2024 election, Walker said.
Walker also addressed the Trump administration’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, claiming these cuts should be extended or made permanent.
“In fact, if you look at the tax cuts, after the 2017 Tax Cuts and Job Act — the one that President Trump signed — about 86% of the middle class in America received the benefits of that tax cut,” Walker said.
While Walker believes in a free market, he deems Trump’s tariffs acceptable as a temporary measure to level the economic playing field.
Discussing Trump’s decision to impose a 10% tariff for most nations on goods being imported into the U.S., Walker commented that Trump’s tariff policy will not be permanent throughout his presidency.
“I’m convinced that what was announced last week in the White House is not going to be the permanent policy of the United States when it comes to tariffs,” Walker said. “I actually think he is a free trader.”
Walker’s belief that Trump believes in free trade stems from his book entitled “Trump: The Art of The Deal,” touching on the positioning of economic policy.
Lastly, Walker discussed federal spending in response to recent Department of Education layoffs.
“I have much more faith in the people in state government, school districts and your local communities to invest the dollars that we spend in education, than I do a bunch of people who work in Washington,” Walker said.
Citing the 10th Amendment, which delegates rights not given to the federal government to the states, Walker argued the Constitution supports this philosophy of decentralized governance.
“Our founders felt so strongly about this that they didn’t just put it in the Constitution — they added it as an exclamation point in the Bill of Rights,” Walker said.
Walker called for targeted budget cuts for more accountability in programs like Social Security and Medicaid to prioritize those in need. He also argued that public assistance should empower people to become self-sufficient, describing it as “a trampoline, not a hammock.”
The former governor closed his presentation by tying taxes, tariffs and federal spending into broader themes of economic stability. He voiced support for making recent tax cuts permanent, arguing that consistent tax policy provides economic certainty for Americans.
“We’ll give you help,” Walker said. “I want you to get back up if you’re able to.”
