RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesRepublicans have done little to distance themselves from the president’s most unpopular policies, Eric Garcia writes. That will cost them
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P resident Donald Trump took time Monday to threaten a 50 percent tariff on cars and auto parts produced in Canada - and give members of his own party yet another controversial decision to defend on the campaign trail.
His tariff announcement came after trade talks between the U.S. and Canada broke down, which led to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney saying Canada would match tariffs from the United States “dollar for dollar. That announcement followed a last-minute breakdown in negotiations between the United States and Canada to stop Trump’s initial 50 percent tariff announcement .
But the economic news didn’t stop there for the Trump team. On Monday, Secretary of Treasury Scott Bessent announced a series of sanctions against Iran as the Trump administration’s war against the nation continues its war in Iran.
Both announcements are reminders that the Trump administration remains wholly uninterested in addressing the cost of living, the very thing that made voters put Trump back in the White House.
While polls show voters care immensely about affordability, Trump has done little to address it and it’s giving members headaches in their efforts to convince voters to pick the GOP.
The closest Trump has come to addressing affordability is importing 300,00 metric tons of beef to lower costs . But that comes at the expense of hurting American cattle ranchers, a demographic that votes overwhelmingly Republican and resides in battleground states such as Texas, Iowa and Nebraska.
All of this piles on what Republicans have to defend in the final two-and-a-half months of campaigning. The generic ballot, which measures whether voters would elect a Democrat or Republican for Congress, shows that Democrats have anywhere from a five- to eight-point lead against Republicans. This means that with such a slim Republican majority in Congress, Democrats have a good chance of winning back both the House and Senate.
In addition, the president’s approval rating has dropped to its lowest on record . He’s bleeding with Hispanic voters, who broke for him big time even in areas that had historically not voted for a Republican .
The president does not seem bothered by any of this. In fact, he is swatting down any talk of negative polling.
“They’re putting them out at levels never seen before. They’re called, “Demoralization Operations,” where they try to demoralize Republicans so that they don’t go out and vote — But the actual Polls are tremendous, and the Spirit in our Country has never been higher. We’re winning against EVERYONE, including Iran, whose Country is in Economic and Military Death Spiral.”
But Trump, who constitutionally cannot appear on the ballot again, does not have to worry about being re-elected. Republicans in the House and Senate do.
Take Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who represents a state that borders Canada. On Monday, she criticized the latest round of tariffs on Canada.
“If it comes back with a huge tariff on it, perhaps as much as 50 percent, that increases the cost of eating, building homes, and purchasing our best-known products,” she told a reporter in Maine.
But the same day that Collins was traversing the state as she faces a tough race against Democrat Troy Jackson, Vice President JD Vance was also in the state, where he gave a shout-out to Collins for being so independent.
In Iowa, Rep. Ashley Hinson, Trump’s endorsed candidate for Senate, had to come out against the president for his plan to import beef, a major industry in the Hawkeye State.
“I want to lower prices but this is a bad idea,” she said on X. “We should be focused on cutting red tape for cattle producers, lowering the cost of production, and supporting market-based solutions to support Iowa producers and lower costs for consumers.”
The problem with various candidates distancing themselves from Trump is that Congress as a whole has taken few steps to actually create daylight between lawmakers and the president. That separation could be needed to convince voters to pick Republicans. Collins has voted against the tariffs against Canada, but few of her Republican colleagues are willing to throw her a lifeline to allow her to have a tangible win.
Hinson, for her part, has consistently voted in line with the president this Congress.
This means that Republicans wind up having to shoulder the policy debt that the president has imposed on them. Had they given themselves a shred of daylight, they could show their independence when the president’s approval ratings are falling. Instead, they will reap the consequences of his unpopular policies - that keep coming.
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