President Trump's recent shuffle with tariffs has taken a sharp turn, as a new YouGov poll reveals that a majority of Americans appear to support his decision to put a 90-day pause on some of the newly announced tariffs. According to the Miami Herald, 64% of the respondents backed the president's move, with support cutting across party lines. It's worth highlighting that most Democrats (69%) and Republicans (68%) are on the same page with this aspect of trade policy, while independents also showed a solid majority (59%) in favor.
The shift came just hours after the tariffs went into effect last Wednesday, with China being the notable exception, not receiving any such reprieve. CBS Austin ran a poll asking Americans to weigh in on whether these tariffs are justified, tapping into public sentiment. The announcement to temporarily halt the tariffs was made after the president had to quickly acknowledge a "little bit afraid" market reaction, with stocks tumbling in response to what J.P. Morgan called the largest tax hike since 1968.
This tariff timeout is seen by many as a financial breather, with 45% of those polled by YouGov believing that the pause would help the average American. A smaller, yet significant, 16% thought the move would be detrimental. There's a considerable number of undecideds as well, with 27% not certain about the pause's impact. As per the YouGov poll, Democrats are more likely to view the delay positively compared to their Republican counterparts, with 53% in the former group seeing it as beneficial versus 43% in the latter.
The negotiations that should ostensibly follow this temporary relief are critically viewed by many. A solid 44% rated Trump's deal-making skills as poor or terrible when it comes to securing advantages for the U.S. in dealings with other nations. This data, as reported by the Miami Herald, also shows a deep partisan split on the president's negotiation prowess, with a majority of Republicans (51%) celebrating his abilities, while most Democrats (62%) held a starkly pessimistic view. Independents tend to lean towards a more critical stance, with 38% labeling his negotiating talents as terrible.
The actions and the reactions to Trump's tariff pause clearly indicate a divided sentiment on trade and economics, playing out within the political spheres and beyond. While the markets have managed to somewhat rebound following the surprise pause, the long-term effects of Trump's trade strategy — and his ability to leverage negotiations during the 90-day window — remain to be seen. The public, in the meantime, seems to cautiously lean toward a hopeful outlook as the U.S. treads these economically turbulent waters.
