Trump's new tariffs just got a brutal review
- Americans do not like President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs, according to a new poll.
- 31% of people surveyed by Quinnipiac University said they support the steel and aluminum tariffs.
- 50% opposed.
- Additionally, few Americans agreed with Trump that a trade war is "good, and easy to win."
Americans are largely opposed to President Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, according to a new survey.
The tariffs, which function as a tax on imports, would add a 25% tax on imports of steel and 10% on aluminum. Economists, Republican lawmakers, and industries that use the metals have all warned of their potentially harmful effects.
The general public appears to agree. Only 31% of respondents in the new Quinnipiac University survey said they supported the tariffs, while 50% opposed them.
Breaking down the survey:
- 58% of Republicans supported the tariffs, while 20% said they opposed them. GOP congressional leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan have come out against Trump's proposal.
- 28% of independents supported the tariffs, while 55% said they were against them.
- 36% of respondents said the tariffs would be bad for American jobs.
- 26% said they would be a good thing for jobs. According to a new study, the tariffs would cost the US around 146,000 on net.
The planned tariffs have sparked warnings about retaliation from other countries, including allies like the European Union and Canada, which has prompted fears of a tit-for-tat trade war.
Trump downplayed those fears in a tweet Friday, saying "trade wars are good, and easy to win."
Americans don't appear to agree with the president on that statement, either:
- 64% disagreed with Trump's assertion that a trade war would be good and eay to win.
- 28% said they agreed with the president's assessment.
"Tariff, smariff, say voters who see punishing other countries on imports will do more harm at home," Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll, said in a statement.
Thirty-four percent of those surveyed said they approved of Trump's handling of trade in general, while 54% said they disapproved.