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Some Republican lawmakers are deeply concerned about President Donald Trump’s tariff gambit for more reasons than one. Many have argued that using tariffs will only raise prices for American consumers.
However, others are worried about something else: Maintaining political power.
The Hill reported that GOP lawmakers have expressed concerns that the trade wars’ impact might negatively impact their chances of retaining control over both chambers of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections.
Republican lawmakers say there’s a good chance that President Trump’s trade war will boomerang on Republicans politically in 2026, as rising prices and shrinking growth could offset other accomplishments by the GOP.
Republican senators are pointing to the 1932 and 1982 elections as historical examples of when trade wars and resulting price inflation hurt their party at the ballot box, and they are worried that history could repeat itself.
Many Republican lawmakers view tariffs as a tax hike on American consumers, and some note that the last two times Congress enacted tax hikes on the scale of Trump’s recent tariffs, the president’s party suffered a wipeout in the next election.
