'Probably unconstitutional': Trump's world trade war spotlights conservative fault lines
President Donald Trump has hailed his sweeping tariffs on all U.S. trading partners and imports as a "declaration of economic independence" that has largely been cheered by his populist base as another example of his "America First" priorities.
But a backlash appears to be brewing on the political right as a handful of Republicans in Congress, former Trump administration officials, conservative activists and other prominent supporters are expressing doubt about this move as anxieties about higher consumer prices rise.
"President Trump declared that it was in fact 'liberation day' his giant tariff policy that he just dropped on the market unilaterally, probably unconstitutionally," Ben Shapiro, founder of the Daily Wire, said on his program this week.
"There are real-world implications for this sort of stuff," he added. "Trade wars are in fact not good, and not easy to win, particularly if you don't have a plan."
Americans also appeared to have soured on this idea even as the administration promises long-term gains.
Trump saw his approval rating dip to 43%, the lowest since his return to office, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released after the April 1 announcement.
Fifty-two percent of respondents said putting tariffs on vehicles will have a negative impact, including 53% of independents. And after riding a wave of anxiety about risings costs back into the White House, the survey shows 57% of Americans think Trump's moves to shake up the economy are "too erratic" with 59% of independent voters agreeing with that statement.
"The Trump Tariff Tax is the largest peacetime tax hike in U.S. history," Republican Mike Pence, who served as Trump's vice president during his first term, said in an April 2 post on X.
"These Tariffs are nearly 10x the size of those imposed during the Trump-Pence Administration and will cost American families over $3,500 per year."
Conservatives like Thomas Sowell and Rand Paul are in opposition to tariff plan
Whether in Congress or think tanks, fiscal hawks aren't shying away from sharing their wariness in Trump's dramatic shift in U.S. trade policy, which includes a 10% baseline tariff on goods from all countries.
The Cato Institute, a libertarian-leaning think tank, have mocked the administration for slapping tariffs on islands inhabited only by penguins, while echoing Pence and other conservatives.
"On the serious side: This isn’t trade strategy," the group said on X. "It’s a massive tax on US consumers."
Thomas Sowell, a well-known economist often cited by GOP officeholders, called the administration's decision "disturbing" adding it runs the risk of a significant downturn. "It's painful to see what a ruinous decision from back in the 1920s being repeated," he said.
On Capitol Hill, where there could be legislative consequences, the most noticeable GOP opposition is coming from the Senate side.
Longtime Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, has introduced a bipartisan bill that would require the president to notify Congress within 48 hours if the administration imposed a tariff.
That proposal has attracted other Senate Republicans who have flirted with the idea of support it, such as Thom Tillis, of North Carolina, who faces reelection in 2026.
Mitch McConnell, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski vote to end some of the tariffs on Canada
Then there are retiring lawmakers, like former Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, who hasn't shied away from expressing his disagreements with Trump nominees and moderates such as Sen. Susan Collins, of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, who all voted to end some of the tariffs on Canada this past week.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has arguably been the most outspoken, but others such as Sen. Ted Cruz, of Texas, and Sen. John Kennedy, of Louisiana, have sprinkled cold water on the strategy, too.
"We do not know yet the impact of these (tariffs)," Kennedy said Friday in an interview with Fox News. "We just don't know and anybody who tells you otherwise that says they know has been smoking the devil's lettuce. I'm not going to bubble-wrap it."
'Breaking the globalist order': Most Republicans stick with Trump on tariffs, poll finds
Things look much better for Trump on the House side where almost no members have come out against the plan save for Rep. Don Bacon, of Nebraska, who reportedly plans to draft a companion bill to the bipartisan Grassley proposal.
Most other GOP members have rushed to say they believe Trump's plan puts U.S. interests first as he promised to do during the campaign. That is where a majority of Republicans stand, according to polling.
On the question of a negative impact on automobiles, for example, the Reuters/Ipsos survey finds 47% of GOP disagree that it will hurt people versus 30% who agree. The remaining 23% did not answer.
Similarly, 25% of Republicans think Trump is being "too erratic" with the economy while 63% think he isn't and just 11% who didn't answer.
"Trump is breaking the globalist order. Hold," Rep. Majorie Taylor Greene, R-Georgia, said Friday on X. "The BEST is yet to come!"