Jim Geraghty of National Review Online pans President Donald Trump’s latest action on tariffs.
By obsessively hiking tariffs at every opportunity, President Trump has put every Republican running for office this year in a much tougher spot than they had to be — to say nothing of how his policies have made all kinds of goods more expensive than they had to be. It is one of the most astonishingly self-destructive moves any president has ever made in economic policy, and no matter how much the evidence piles up, the president insists the tariffs are working great, and that America is enjoying a “golden age.” …
… Incumbent Republicans, you could have been running for reelection in a roaring economy, but a president addicted to tariffs wouldn’t let you.
Early voting starts in Minnesota, South Dakota, and Virginia on Friday, September 18, just 52 days from now. The cement is hardening in Americans’ perception of the economy, and that perception is negative. In fact, forget Democrats and independents for a moment; the most recent Pew Research survey found “the share of Republicans who say Trump’s policies have worsened conditions has risen from 18 percent to 28 percent, while the share saying they have improved conditions has fallen from 57 percent to 42 percent.” Overall, 60 percent of U.S. adults say Trump’s policies have made the economy worse, while just 20 percent say Trump’s policies have made the economy better.
(I know, I know, the pollster is biased! Globalist! Elitist! The Swamp! Deep State!)
Right as we enter the home stretch before the midterms, President Trump decided to throw another batch of tariffs onto the pile. … I suspect the headline “Trump announces additional new tariffs” is starting to be like “Bangladesh hit by floods” or “U.S. national debt reaches new high” — the sort of news that people expect and just tune out. …
… What do tariffs do? They make things more expensive.
