Few Americans Back Trump’s New Reciprocal Tariffs as Opposition to Established Levies Grows

As the country moves closer to what Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday called an Aug. 1 “hard deadline” for countries to begin paying so-called reciprocal tariffs, the sirens of public opinion continue to blare for the administration, underlining the potential blowback for the Republican Party and pressure its leaders in Washington will face to change tack.

Not only do the vast majority of President Donald Trump’s latest slew of levies on imports poll underwater with American voters. Morning Consult trend data also shows increasing opposition tariffs he has already imposed, from his 10% minimum blanket tariff on nearly all countries to those targeting specific sectors.

Among nearly 30 newly announced tariffs set to take effect on Aug. 1 that we tested, just two drew more support than opposition among voters: a 32% tax on Indonesian goods and a 30% tax on goods from Iraq. Even in those cases, nearly as many Americans opposed those tariffs.

The newly announced levies that drew the most opposition fit a pattern we have consistently observed in our comprehensive polling coverage of Trump’s tariffs this year to date.

Nearly half of voters oppose 30% tariffs on imports from Mexico and the European Union — two of America’s largest trading partners — along with 50% tariffs on U.S. imports of copper. As we’ve found repeatedly, actions targeting raw materials such as steel and aluminum, well-known imports such as automobiles or America’s close partners in commerce tend to generate a stronger and more negative reaction from Americans.

Some may argue that Trump’s aggressive actions on trade may have successfully shifted the Overton window on tariffs. After all, many countries and investors who in 2024 were quaking at the notion of a 10% blanket tariff on all goods may gladly accept those terms given where the conversation has headed this year.

However, it’s important to note that public opinion is moving in the opposite direction: All tariffs currently in effect have seen their net support decline over the past several weeks.

Unsurprisingly, that includes a 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imports and a 25% fee on imports of automobiles and component parts, both of which now poll underwater by nearly 20 percentage points.

But more notably, it also includes the 10% blanket tariffs, which voters are now evenly divided on. And even 30% tariffs on China, which have long been more popular than Trump's other trade proposals, have lost support, with voters now opposing them by an 8-point margin.

The bottom line

Per our latest weekly tracking, just 19% of voters believe that tariffs should be a “top priority” for the federal government, just 1 point off a second-term low we’ve measured since January, even as 52% say imposing tariffs is a top priority for Trump, matching a record high previously set in May.

In other words, Trump’s approach on trade continues to be wildly out of step with the electorate. And though Wall Street doesn’t appear nearly as spooked by the president’s latest deadline as it was in early April, the data underscores that if that changes, public opinion isn’t primed to pull any punches. That’s especially true if tariff-related price increases, which economists say have already begun to take effect, continue to crop up. 

It’s no wonder Trump’s approval rating ticked down over the past week, both generally and on issues of the economy and trade specifically, amid confusing headlines about what’s next in his trade war. It’s unlikely that his push will remain politically palatable if tariff rates are locked in, especially given voters’ beliefs that Trump should be focused on the cost of living above all else.