Trump’s Tariffs Backfire: Working-Class Voters Say ‘No Thanks’

For years, politicians from both parties believed that protectionist trade policies—tariffs and trade barriers meant to protect local industries—would win over working-class voters. President Donald Trump is now putting that belief to the test. So far, it is failing. On the campaign trail, Trump has pushed the most aggressive trade agenda in decades. But working-class voters are not responding with the support his team expected. Instead, many are turning away. The results suggest that tariffs alone may not be the winning message that trade hardliners once assumed.