According to a new poll from Nate Silver, 50.1% of Americans disapprove of the job Donald Trump is doing since he returned to the White House amid fears over his tariff wars
Donald Trump has lost the support of more than half of US voters following his world tariff war, according to a bombshell new poll.
Nate Silver has revealed that for the first time in Trump’s presidency, 50.1% of Americans disapprove of the job he is doing. The polling analyst, who accurately predicted the outcome from the Wisconsin Supreme Court election, said Trump’s disapproval rating is now 50.1%, with just 47% approving of his job, according to averaged data from over 170 polls since he took office in January.
Trump introduced sweeping tariffs across the world as the president said the import taxes, ranging from 10% to 49%, would do to EU trading partners what they have long done to the U.S. He maintains they will draw factories and jobs back to the US. “Taxpayers have been ripped off for more than 50 years,” he said. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”
Trump faced the first signs of dissent last night after the Senate passed a resolution that aims to thwart Trump’s ability to impose tariffs on Canada, which was a rare rebuke to the president. The Senate resolution, passed by a 51-48 vote tally with four Republicans and all Democrats in support, would end Trump’s emergency declaration on fentanyl trafficking that underpins tariffs on Canada.
Trump earlier announced orders — his so-called “Liberation Day” — to impose import taxes on a number of international trading partners, though Canadian imports for now were spared from new taxes. Despite the Senate’s legislation having little chance of passing the Republican-controlled House and being signed by Trump, it showed the limits of Republican support for Trump’s vision of remaking the US economy by restricting free trade.
Many economists are warning that the plan could cause an economic contraction, and GOP senators are uneasy at the way Trump upends the United States’ relationship with the rest of the world.
On Wednesday, Trump singled out the four Republicans — Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rand Paul of Kentucky — who voted in favour of the resolution.
In a statement following the vote, McConnell, the former Senate Republican leader, said: “As I have always warned, tariffs are bad policy, and trade wars with our partners hurt working people most.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s announcement of a new 20% tariff on the European Union drew a sharp rebuke from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who said it was a “major blow to the world economy.”
The consequences will be dire for millions of people around the globe,” von der Leyen said. Groceries, transport and medicines will cost more, she said while visiting Uzbekistan, “And this is hurting, in particular, the most vulnerable citizens.”
Von der Leyen acknowledged that the world trading system has “serious deficiencies” and said the EU was ready to negotiate with the US but also was prepared to respond with countermeasures. Keir Starmer said the UK government would react with “cool and calm heads.”