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Poll: Americans sour on tariffs tied to rising inflation | Honolulu Star-Advertiser
WASHINGTON >> Americans don’t think import tariffs are a good idea if they lead to higher prices and are skeptical they would help U.S. workers, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, underscoring the political risks to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose heavy fees on goods from China, Mexico...
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WASHINGTON >> Americans don’t think import tariffs are a good idea if they lead to higher prices and are skeptical they would help U.S. workers, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found, underscoring the political risks to President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to impose heavy fees on goods from China, Mexico and other nations.
Only 29% of respondents in the six-day poll, which closed on Tuesday, agreed with a statement that “it’s a good idea for the U.S. to charge higher tariffs on imported goods even if prices increase,” while 42% disagreed. Another 26% said they didn’t know and the rest didn’t answer the question.
Just 17% of respondents agreed with a statement that “when the U.S. charges tariffs on imported goods, it is good for me personally.”
Americans’ views on tariffs pose a potential problem for Trump when the Republican returns to the White House on Jan 20. Economists say his tariff plan, which is more aggressive than the one he employed during his 2017-21 presidency, would spark higher inflation of the sort that weakened Democratic President Joe Biden and helped pave Trump’s path back to the White House.
“I think that some of the public opinion might act as a bit of a brake on Trump’s more extreme tariff plans, because clearly, they will show up in prices,” said Mary Lovely, a trade economist and senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, a pro-trade think tank.
Trump has pledged to boost American industry by imposing a 10% universal import tariff and a 60% tariff on Chinese imports. He has also threatened 25% duties on goods from Mexico and Canada as well as an additional 10% tariffs on Chinese goods, as a way to push them to clamp down on the flow of the deadly opioid fentanyl, and illegal immigration to the U.S. The three countries are America’s top trading partners.
