Congressional Republicans were all too happy to see President Donald Trump’s unpopular tariffs largely fade from headlines as the midterms inched closer. Now, with just 10 weeks to Election Day, Trump’s decision to again put them front and center has infuriated his party.
Within the span of a few days, the president both ignited a trade war with Canada and announced he was easing tariffs on imported beef — an economic one-two punch that will have particularly acute effects in a slew of states critical to winning congressional control.
Republicans, already struggling to outrun voters’ widespread cost-of-living concerns, are publicly calling on Trump to drop his hard line against Canada. And lawmakers across the Midwest and the South are distancing themselves from the plan to cut foreign beef tariffs, warning that any brief progress toward lowering prices of the grocery staple will be far overshadowed by the pain it causes American ranchers.
“There’s no Republican on the ballot who will tell you they think this is a good idea,” said Doug Heye, a longtime GOP strategist. “Things are too expensive, and it’s hard to see how this [trade war] would do anything to help any Republicans.”
More than a dozen Republican lawmakers have since criticized the economic moves, including staunch Trump allies who nevertheless openly aired their frustration over the fallout in their home states.
