[By Guancha Observer Network, Ruan Jiaqi]
The chaotic tariff policy of U.S. President Trump is causing more political chain reactions.
According to a report by The Washington Post on the 14th, with half of the spring planting season already passed, farmers in North Carolina are becoming increasingly dissatisfied as tariffs have hindered their trade with China. This has caused concern among Republicans in this swing agricultural state, who worry whether tariffs will lead farmers who traditionally support the Republican Party to "switch sides" and vote for Democratic candidates in next year's midterm elections, potentially ending the Republican Party's control over federal elected positions in North Carolina and other areas.
Reportedly, Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican senator under attack from Democratic opponents for "habitually compromising with Trump policies," has joined the growing ranks of Trump allies expressing concerns about the impact of tariffs. The reason is simple: he faces re-election next year. The changing emotions among farmer voters over the past few days have made him very worried.
In his questioning of U.S. Trade Representative James Greer at the hearing, Tillis's concerns were evident. He urgently asked whether Republicans like himself would be "punished" at the polls due to decisions made by the Republican government.
"All we need to do must be completed before February next year, such as understanding what the political landscape will look like next year." Tillis spoke frankly, "Perhaps the president doesn't need to consider these things, but I plan to run for re-election. I just want to figure out if voters feel good about this."
At the hearing, he further challenged, "If it turns out that this (tariff policy) is wrong, whose neck should I wring?"
North Carolina Republican Senator Tillis questions Trump's tariff policy. C-SPAN
According to Axios reports, Tillis also co-sponsored the 2025 Trade Review Act proposed jointly by Democratic Senator Maria Cantwell from Washington State and Republican Senator Chuck Grassley from Iowa. This bipartisan bill aims to check Trump's tariff powers, and Tillis is one of the seven leading Republican supporters of the bill.
Media reports say that another similar bill in the House of Representatives is also being considered by at least a dozen Republican members. This has sparked Trump's wrath, who accused these Republicans of "rebellion" and "grandstanding."
However, Republican senators like Tillis still insist that looking back at the midterm elections in 1932 and 1982, the Republicans were hurt by inflation caused by trade wars. They fear history may repeat itself.
"Looking back at national elections, going back to 1982, I remember, that time the Republicans lost about 26 seats in the House of Representatives." Tillis told The Hill.
Tillis also expressed concern to The Washington Post that the trade war with China and other tariff measures might severely damage North Carolina's economy, which relies heavily on agricultural exports. According to data from the North Carolina Chamber of Commerce, agriculture and agribusiness contributed more than $111 billion to the state's economy in 2024, accounting for one-sixth of the state's total income.
China has strongly announced an increase in tariffs to 125%. At current tariff levels, American goods have no market acceptance in China. Tillis expressed concern, "If China says they are 'ready to go all the way,' I hope this 'battle' can end quickly. (If it continues), North Carolina's economy will face real pressure."
The Washington Post reported that although Trump won North Carolina's electoral votes in three elections, Democrats have been dominant in nearly ten gubernatorial elections over the past decade. Facing the effects of Trump's tariff policies, Democrats are also hoping that the Republicans "shoot themselves in the foot," using tariffs as the "gun" to break the voter turnout rate of Republican voters.
Eric Ager, a North Carolina Democratic representative, said that in the past year, farmers in the eastern and western parts of the state have already experienced a tough agricultural year due to hurricanes and droughts. Now, Trump's escalating trade war has raised doubts among more swing voters. These voters only supported Trump because they were concerned about the economic situation under Biden's administration.
"I think, no matter how much Trump tries, it won't change the minds of those die-hard supporters," he added. "But there is another group of voters who thought Republicans could do better economically. (But) I think they are starting to question if this direction is correct."
John Ashe, a soybean grower from Lizerville in North Carolina, feels equally puzzled. "I'm surprised that some farmers still take pride in what he (Trump) is doing," Ashe said.
Ashe is an "outsider" in the American farmer voter group; he has never voted for Trump in the last three presidential elections. Seeing what Trump has done, he feels even more fortunate about his initial choice. As for Trump's call to Americans to "not do foolish things," "be strong, brave, and patient," Ashe dismissed it with disdain.
This 57-year-old veteran farmer has spent his whole life farming. For Ashe, the beginning of the planting season is like a math problem. Every year, he carefully considers tobacco company recommendations, studies competition from Brazilian soybean growers, and meticulously calculates how many workers to hire just to barely make enough profit to keep the farm running.
But this year, Trump's tariff policy has become his biggest challenge. "Everything in the farm is like a riddle game, but I think it's harder than any other time in my life," Ashe said.
While checking the latest tariff news on his phone, Ashe told the media that his main anxiety was focused on the soybeans about to be planted. Usually, most of his soybean harvests are exported to China, and now China has become the primary target of Trump's constantly escalating trade war.
"I really don't understand how Trump thinks he can implement this policy nationwide," Ashe complained. Agricultural production depends on the weather, and now the uncertainty of tariff policies threatens America's access to overseas markets for its agricultural products. "This is not something we can solve in three months. It's a critical period. Anything can be crucial until the harvest."
This article is an exclusive piece by the Guancha Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.
Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7493421991093944844/
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