Trump’s trade outlook and the turbulent week in the market Customs Policy is not just what Americans think will happen, but when.
People are split over whether or not they believe Trump has a clear plan, and most people don’t think tariffs are permanent. Like his goal Trade Policy More than his approach. Those who think he has a plan – primarily Republicans – will take more than a few months to determine the impact. Republicans are separated from the general general in showing their patience.
But in the short term, the majority of Americans think that new tariffs will raise prices, and many believe that this will be the case in the long term. Therefore, the masses who endure inflation support it to hit their revenue: the increasing number thinks Trump’s policies will make them worse and not improve financially, and most people think tariffs will make the economy worse more immediately.
Second, Trump’s assessment of inflation treatment economy It’s become even more negative.
Either way, this may be one lasting impression. In the public mind, it is now Donald Trump’s economy. The majority say his policies, not Joe Biden, are responsible for that.
In this context, views on the potential impact on prices are particularly important in this context, as inflation has been the number one concern for Americans in recent years and is the best way for people to assess their finances and economy.
Opinions are more complicated about how tariffs affect US manufacturing jobs. It is mostly Republicans who believe they will lead to more work.
Trump’s trade policy
Overall, many people say they prefer Trump’s goals in tariffs and trade policies over his approach.
And while the new tariffs continue to become net negative, they support highly partisan divisions.
That’s what almost every Republican says about whether Trump has a plan.
Most Americans don’t think tariffs will remain. They believe Trump is using them for negotiations and will remove them later. Republicans are particularly thinking about it — and it relates to how they see the long-term impact on prices.
Despite the expected short-term price rise, Republicans and most independents say it will take at least several months to judge Trump’s trade policy, but Democrats are ready to rate it sooner.
Customs support also relates to people who think they will help or hurt them. In any case, we believe there are many who benefit from wealthy people and businesses. Middle and working classes also like to benefit.
Handling of Trump’s work
When Trump took office, a considerable four out of ten Americans thought he would make them financially better. That was the key reason he won the election. It changed in March, with more impacts worsening, and now the view of that worsening continues today.
While the market has become volatile this week while polls are underway, many Americans have said Trump’s policies are lowering the market overall.
Overall, this trend concerns Trump’s handling of the economy, his handling of inflation, and his assessment of slippage as a whole. (The total number initially drops from that high, but even higher than what he had in his first semester.)
Some of the changes in Trump’s overall recognition come from independences becoming even more disapproved.
As has been done, Trump has earned a better mark for handling immigrants than the economy and inflation.
It affects the economy
Ultimately, all the presidential policies stamped the US economy. Politically speaking, the majority of the masses are now considering this Donald Trump economy. The majority consider his policy (not Joe Biden) to be largely responsible for the situation today. And, combined, three-quarters assign him at least a shared influence.
Here’s another way Trump is a central figure in the economy: Given the list of reasons why the economy is good or bad, in either case, a significant number gives Trump as a reason. For the majority who think it’s bad, the lack of price and general confidence is the best reason, along with Donald Trump in particular. People who think the economy is good – a group that includes many Republicans – lists Trump with general confidence and job markets.
Polarization also plays a role in the differences in current people’s assessments and outlook. Their collective outlook has changed a little more over the past few weeks.
First, their views on their own outlook for the economy have deteriorated a bit, with few expectations expecting to remain stable, and they expect a recession.
And he said he believes the economy is getting worse, a small majority of Americans, and a slightly more than last month. It came from Democrats, as most Republicans say it’s getting better. (Separately, in other studies, Consumer Trust Index was dropped in April. )
Meanwhile, the current view of the US economy has been and remains negative for many years by a majority. More Republicans are calling it good now. This is a common partisan effect that has been seen over the years as the White House changes its hands. And Republicans say it’s due to confidence in general and Donald Trump in particular. Even if Democrats and independents made that worse, these Republicans have raised their overall economic ratings a bit.
Partisan differences in trade – how the base sees it
We can see more of Trump’s support from GOP base by seeking reliable information about tariffs and their impacts. For Republicans, they trust Trump as “a lot” for the information.
Republicans view tariffs and trade as well as economics and employment as issues of fairness and patriotism.
And most Republicans don’t want to involve Congress, despite being a Republican-controlled Congress. For practical reasons, Democrats and independents who are less supportive of tariffs will seek more Congressional involvement to stop Congressional involvement.
This CBS News/YouGov survey was conducted on a nationally representative sample of 2,410 US adults interviewed between April 8th and 11th, 2025. The sample was weighted as representatives of adults across the country based on gender, age, race and education based on the US Census Community Survey and the current Census, as well as the 2024 presidential vote. The margin of error is ±2.4 points.
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