Support AGAINST Trump & Co., who seems to have OVER REACHED, in how their actions play out to the public….
We saw this kind of “thermostatic” effect in Trump’s first term — especially when it came to sympathy for the immigrants that Trump has often demonized. But not like this.
Free trade is a case in point. New data from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs set to be released publicly Monday shows a sudden surge in support for global free trade, even as Trump has sought to rein it in through his global tariffs. The poll gave people three options, two of which were to “pursue a policy of global free trade” and to “reduce international trade and seek greater self-sufficiency.” The latter is in line with Trump’s tariff’s approach.
But Americans suddenly prefer the former approach — by a lot. While just last year they preferred to reduce international trade by six percentage points, they now prefer global free trade by 26 points. Support for global free trade has shot up from 35 percent in June 2024 to 55 percent today.
Even Republicans have trended somewhat toward free trade (34 percent). (A 51 percent majority, though, remain in favor of reduced trade.)
The poll also showed the percentages of people who said international trade was good for creating jobs (70 percent) and their own standards of living (84 percent), hitting highs not seen since at least 2004.
This isn’t the only poll to suggest a sudden embrace of free trade amid Trump’s tariff war.
Recent data published by the Financial Times shows a similar surge in “strong” support for free trade — a surge that clearly coincides with Trump’s election and inauguration. And Gallup data last month showed the percentage of those who described international trade as an “opportunity for economic growth” rather than a “threat” increasing by about 20 points from last year….
…
Pro-immigrant sentiment appears to be returning as Trump wages a deportation campaign that has repeatedly been halted by the courts.
Economist-YouGov polling throughout the 2024 campaign showed more Americans said immigrants made us “worse off” than “better off.” They now prefer “better off” by double digits, 40 to 29. And the shift happened almost immediately after Trump was inaugurated.
(It’s not totally clear that this is all about the Trump effect. For instance, illegal border crossings had plunged in 2024 and have continued to do so early in Trump’s presidency. So perhaps people just aren’t as concerned about illegal immigration. And Trump has won high marksfrom the public on the issue of border security. But polls have also shown Americans strongly disagree with some of Trump’s deportation policies and view them as too harsh.)…
…
And finally there is a sudden apparent surge in support for checks and balances.
Trump has attempted extraordinary power grabs aimed at increasing his authority. He has largely sidelined the Republican-controlled Congress and attacked the courts that have stood in his way — including Republican-appointed judges. But as that’s happened, Americans have suddenly expressed a desire for a more reined-in president….
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.