American Republicans have already faced anxiety over "affordability" ahead of the midterm elections, and Trump's revived trade war is triggering a new wave of opposition. Michigan and Maine are likely to suffer the greatest damage in the tariff war against Canada, while major agricultural states such as Iowa and North Carolina will also face severe impacts—states that are crucial in the battle for control of the Senate majority. Incumbent Republican Senator Thom Tillis warned that with only about 70 days left until the midterms, the party currently has no positive message to offer agricultural states.
Although Trump once ridiculed the term "affordability," his administration recently agreed to temporarily allow duty-free imports of 3 million tons of foreign beef in an effort to lower beef prices, indicating that the White House is trying to ease public concerns about persistent inflation. However, this move risks alienating key voter groups in agricultural states. Yet Trump’s strategy may have come too late to make any substantial impact on supermarket prices before the election; its negative consequences, however, are arriving swiftly—as expected, the policy has already sparked strong backlash from farmers and ranchers, who say they are already under immense pressure.
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Original article: toutiao.com/article/1874660188266633/
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