Dem
47
GOP
53
While Trump may have some problems with the base over farm workers, Jeffrey Epstein, and Ukraine, Republicans in Congress have a different beef with him: tariff policy. In particular, he gave himself 90 days to make deals with 200 countries on tariffs. Now the 90 days are up and there are only two tentative deals (with the U.K. and Vietnam). And Trump has just unilaterally imposed steep tariffs of 25% and up on over a dozen countries. Congressional Republicans are hearing from businesses about this uncertainty and none of it is positive.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), who used to be a partner at Price Waterhouse, said "If you're going to go into a trade war, it's good to have allies. What we did is alienate the ones we know are naturally inclined to work with us." Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) said that senators want to know where the trade talks stand. If Trump has made agreements with some countries, she wants him to make them public. Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) said: "We're in uncharted territory. I do not know the impact the tariffs are going to have on the American economy or the global economy. I don't, and nobody else does either." A Republican senator who wished to remain anonymous also said there is a strong desire among Republican senators to see finished trade agreements. Instead, Trump rolled out new tariffs per Aug. 1. That is not what the senators want.
Clearly the senators are worried that if we get TACO Tuesday once a month, markets are going to get spooked, no one will believe Trump anymore, and there could be a recession next year, which could cause the Republicans to lose the House and maybe even the Senate. But Trump is just going his merry way, ignoring all the Republican senators. They are worried about the consequences of that. (V)