3 days ago
Do Trump voters support his tariffs? Here's what a new poll found
President Donald Trump's sweeping overhaul of American trade policy has triggered a unique rift among his supporters, according to new polling.
In the latest Politico-Public First poll, a sizable swath of Trump voters voiced reservations about his aggressive tariffs — especially those aimed at China, which has been slapped with the highest rates.
'It's rare to find things which divide Trump's base at the moment,' Seb Wride, a partner and head of research at Public First, told McClatchy News.
The survey — which sampled 2,276 U.S. adults June 10-20 — comes three months after the president announced his 'Liberation Day' tariffs, resulting in an unprecedented 10% baseline levy on most countries. Substantially higher 'reciprocal' tariffs were levied on scores of countries, though most of these measures have been suspended following a series of policy reversals.
Sector-specific tariffs have also been unveiled, including on steel, aluminum, copper and automobiles.
Here is a breakdown of the poll's findings.
Congressional approval, trade deals
The president's base was sharply split on the fundamental issue of who should control tariff policy.
Forty-five percent of Trump 2024 voters said he should be authorized to place tariffs on any nation without congressional approval, while about the same share, 44%, said lawmakers should be required to sign off on any tariffs.
Congress indeed has powers to reign in Trump's tariffs, but so far, most lawmakers have not expressed interest in doing so, according to previous reporting from McClatchy News.
Voters were more aligned on the intended goal of the tariffs, according to the survey, which has a margin of error of 5 percentage points.
A strong majority of Trump voters, 63%, said the president's tariffs are helping the U.S. achieve improved trade deals with other nations. Meanwhile, 27% said the tariffs are hampering U.S. efforts to hammer out better trade deals.
Tariffs on China
Trump's voters were especially split when it came to tariffs on China, which reached a peak of 145% in April before dropping back down to 10% in May.
Less than half of Trump 2024 voters, 46%, said they would support tariffs on China — one of America's biggest trading partners — even if they lead to rising prices domestically. Around a third, 32%, said they would only support tariffs if they do not increase prices.
Half of the president's voters said Trump's China tariffs generally benefit American companies, while 25% said they hurt U.S. companies, and 11% said they have no real impact.
Further, a majority, 52%, said it is important to reach a trade deal with China 'as soon as possible, even if it means reducing some tariffs.' A smaller share, 38%, said the president should not lower any levies on China 'even if it delays the trade deal.'
What's causing the rift?
Wride said there is one key factor driving this rift among the president's base of support.
'This tariff division most likely reflects a lack of clarity among voters on the official stance: Republicans recognize the importance of China, but are unsure on whether the tariffs are a temporary negotiating position, or a permanent foreign policy position,' he said.
Trump himself has offered mixed messaging on the purpose of his tariffs, saying they can serve as negotiating tactics and can also be permanent.
'It may be that this division vanishes with a clear statement of intent from the President,' Wride added. 'In the meantime, the relationship with China is impossible to ignore.'
