President Donald Trump’s trade war is increasingly alienating Americans, and even Republicans who once supported him are now regretting their votes. Recent polls show that dissatisfaction is growing within his own party, as more and more voters criticize his handling of the economy.
A new Reuters-Ipsos poll paints a grim picture for Trump. Three in ten Republicans say his economic agenda has been “too erratic.” While his diehard supporters still defend him, many others are turning against his approach. In fact, 30% of Republicans strongly disagreed with the idea that Trump’s trade policies were too unpredictable.
Another poll by CNN shows that even Trump voters from 2024 are starting to sour on his tariff plan. One in five of those who supported him last time disapprove of how he’s handling the trade war, and 24% of Republican-leaning voters feel the same way.
A nonpartisan study from Center Forward found that many Trump voters believe the president is neglecting the most pressing issues, like the economy. As Bob Torongo, from Breakthrough Campaigns, put it, people from all political sides are frustrated. They want the administration to focus on inflation and rising living costs, but these “kitchen-table issues” aren’t getting the attention they deserve.
Trump himself has admitted that his tariffs could hurt the economy. During a recent Fox Business interview, he dodged questions about whether his trade policies would lead to a recession. Instead, he suggested that Americans should take a long-term view, like China does, instead of looking at short-term results. In other words, he wants people to forget about the current turmoil and think of it as a long-term project.
But the stock market isn’t buying it. Trump’s trade war is already causing big losses. The Dow dropped 670 points last week, and the slump continued as Trump’s 25% tariff on steel and aluminum imports triggered retaliatory tariffs from other countries. The global backlash is starting to hit American businesses hard.
Trump’s failure to ease these concerns was clear when he spoke at a press conference on Thursday. He had no clear plan to help small businesses deal with the fallout of his erratic tariff policies. Instead of offering solutions, he left Americans — and even his own party — wondering where the economy is headed.
