Republicans quietly fretting as Trump policy worsens 'shaky' economy: report

Republican lawmakers are reportedly becoming more and more anxious about Donald Trump's tariffs behind closed doors, according to Politico, worrying that one of the president's signature policies is worsening an already "shaky" economy.

In its report from Friday, Politico noted that while the White House and its allies are dismissing the implication of a major tariff rebuke in the House this week, the vote in fact reflected the feelings of an increasing number of lawmakers who are anxious that the tariffs are doing more harm than good. These Republicans worry that the work has not been done to properly persuade voters that tariffs will be a good thing, while they are also making life much harder for key members of the party's base.

"But privately some Republicans remain anxious about a tariff policy that has injected uncertainty into a shaky economy," Politico detailed. "It’s a far cry, they say, from the booming one President Donald Trump promised, one that was supposed to be supercharged by tax cuts and deregulations that Republicans would be eager to run on. They fear that the administration has not done enough to sell the president’s top economic priority to the American people as an unalloyed good.

The report continued: "And while the White House points to a robust GDP, booming stock market and relatively low unemployment, the tariffs are applying direct pain on select constituencies such as farmers or small business owners whose fortunes can make the difference in a close election."

Trump's tariffs saw one of their most significant GOP revolts yet on Wednesday, when six Republicans broke with the rest of the party to vote against a measure that would have blocked any other anti-tariff votes through to the summer, sealing its fate and setting the stage for an onslaught of new bills seeking to rein Trump in. In the aftermath, a further bill to rescind Trump's tariffs on Canada also passed in the House, and has now been sent to the Senate.

Speaking with Politico, a source close to the White House worried about the "not great messaging" the vote represented, while also expressing surprise about one thing.

"I was surprised it wasn’t more," the source said.

GOP strategist Doug Heye told Politico that more Republicans have opted not to break with Trump on tariffs because "he threatened them" with primary challenges.

"That’s it," Heye said. "That’s always it."

Another insider source explained Trump's reaction to the vote in blunt terms.

“He is angry and unhappy,” the source told Politico. “But other [Republican] politicians are going to act in their self interest.”

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