April 16, 2025 11:34 AM UTC

Trump Tariffs Have Another Impact: Voters Now Trust Democrats More on Economy

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• by: Colorado Pols

Republicans have always fancied themselves as the more effective of the two major political parties when it comes to managing economic policies. For whatever reason, voters have largely bought into that narrative.

But President Trump’s reckless Tariff War and the economic uncertainty created by his on/off/on/off impulsiveness are doing more than destroying consumer confidence and sinking faith in the U.S. dollar. As new polling data shows from Morning Consult, Trump is changing the political narrative on economic issues…in favor of Democrats:

Democrats regain economic advantage: For the first time since May 2021, more voters trust Democrats in Congress than their Republican counterparts to handle the economy (46% to 43%). That 3-percentage-point edge for Democrats — their largest since April 2021 — underlines a stark unraveling for the GOP, which had come off the 2024 election with a double-digit advantage on the matter. [Pols emphasis]

Trade buzz reaches its worst point yet: Voters were 28 points more likely to reporting hearing something negative than positive about trade, marking a record low in surveys conducted since November. Roughly half of voters (49%) said they had seen, read or heard “a lot” about Trump’s 145% tariffs on Chinese goods, 10 points higher than the share who said the same of his 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs for most countries.

That first bullet point is astounding. Republicans had a double-digit advantage on economic issues following the 2024 election, but the Trump administration has screwed up so badly that voters now trust Congressional Democrats to be better on the economy for the first time since May 2021.

These are amazing numbers, but they shouldn’t be incredibly surprising given that Congressional Republicans — including Rep. Gabe Evans (R-Fort Lupton) — continue to meekly repeat idiotic talking points coming from the White House.