58% of Americans Doubt Trump's Trade Policy
SkimNews Take
Skepticism emerging after policy implementation begins — rather than during campaign promises — suggests public opinion is now anchored to tangible outcomes like prices and supply chains, making it a stickier constraint to reverse.
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- Pew Research Center survey found 58% of U.S. adults are not too or not at all confident in Trump's trade policy decisions, with 63% lacking confidence specifically in his handling of tariffs.
- Partisan divide on trade is stark: 74% of Republicans express confidence in Trump versus just 12% of Democrats, and the gap widens further among Americans 50 and older (84% of Republicans confident vs. 92% of Democrats not confident).
- Republicans have grown less likely to say U.S. trading partners benefit more — 36% now say Canada and Mexico benefit more from their trade relationships with the U.S., down from 46% who said this about each country in 2025.
- Mexico overtook China as the source of the U.S.'s largest bilateral trade deficit in 2025 for the first time this century, hitting a record $194.6 billion as imports from Mexico grew 4.4% while exports rose just 1.5%.
- U.S.-China trade collapsed in 2025, with imports from China tumbling 28.0% and exports falling 17.7%, narrowing the bilateral deficit from $262.2 billion to $168.1 billion.
- Uncertainty is rising on North American trade: 22% of Republicans and 25% of Democrats said they are "not sure" which country benefits more from U.S.-Canada trade, up from 16% in both parties a year earlier.
Why it matters: The 62-point gap between Republican (74%) and Democratic (12%) confidence in Trump's trade handling shows trade policy has become one of the most polarized issues in American politics. Roughly one-in-four Americans in both parties now say they are 'not sure' how U.S.-Canada trade distributes benefits — up from 16% a year ago — suggesting public understanding is eroding as tariffs materially reshape actual trade flows.
