Trump tariffs come back to haunt GOP as elections near

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- Trump administration announced Thursday it will impose double-digit tariffs on imports from more than 60 countries, according to the article.
- Republican candidates now face political risk from the new tariffs as the midterms approach, with the source framing the trade agenda as an emerging electoral liability.
- Democrats are preparing to go on the offensive over the economic impact of Trump's tariffs, targeting GOP incumbents on affordability concerns.
- Trump's trade agenda is positioned by the source as the central economic issue Democrats will use to rally voters against vulnerable Republican seats.
Why it matters: Republican incumbents in import-sensitive districts now have to defend tariffs that hit 60-plus trading partners, handing Democrats a unified affordability message against the GOP just as the midterm map already favors challengers — a direct reversal of the tariff-as-leverage framing Republicans used to justify the policy.

