A narrow majority of U.S. voters back presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to raise tariffs on imported goods, especially from China, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows, underscoring his economic advantage over rival Kamala Harris.
Both the former Republican president and his Democratic rival have pledged to seek tax cuts if they win the November 5 election.
reduce debt
But voters see Trump as more likely to cut the $35 trillion national debt, though independent economists predict his proposals could have the opposite effect.
In the poll, conducted on September 11-12, about 56 percent of registered voters said they were more likely to support a candidate who supported a new 10 percent tariff on all imports, as well as a 60 percent tariff on imports from China. By contrast, 41 percent said they were less likely to support a candidate associated with that proposal.
Harris is moving forward
The poll showed Harris leading Trump by a total of 5 percentage points nationally, though the outcome of the election will depend heavily on voting in about seven swing states where the race is tight.
The poll looked at Trump’s strengths on a key issue: the economy.
The poll showed that 37% of voters see Trump as more likely to focus on reducing the debt, compared to about 30% who saw that in Harris.
Another 30% said neither would do it.
The Reuters/Ipsos poll was conducted online among 1,405 registered voters and has a margin of error of about 3 percent.
Customs tariffs
Trump has unveiled a plan to impose massive tariffs of up to 100% on countries that try to trade outside the dollar-based financial system, in order to protect the dollar’s status as the global reserve currency.
These statements came during a rally in Wisconsin, where he said, “We will keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency, and it is currently under great siege.”
In a report published by Bloomberg, Trump’s use of tariffs as a political tool during his first term was highlighted, and the report indicated that he plans to expand their use if he wins the next elections.
At the same time, Trump has downplayed the effectiveness of economic sanctions, despite using them extensively in his first term, saying sanctions should be used with extreme caution while calling tariffs “fantastic.”
During his rally, Trump said the tariffs could also be used to feed a new sovereign wealth fund and offset losses from proposed tax cuts, though economists have questioned the benefits, warning that trade barriers could slow economic growth and raise prices, hurting consumers.
Although sanctions and tariffs were widely controversial in Trump’s first term, they have continued as a common tool in American policy. Current President Joe Biden has kept many of these policies, and added some, and Kamala Harris has not announced any intention to change them if elected.
