By Ivana Saric
Digital Editor, Council on Foreign Relations |
Concerns around affordability are making trade an important factor in this year’s midterms, according to the results of a new CFR-Morning Consult poll released this week.
The Daily Brief reached out to Allison Smith, deputy director of CFR’s Greenberg Center for Geoeconomics, who wrote an analysis of the poll’s findings, to learn more.
“Americans usually list the economy as a top issue in the midterms,” Smith told the Daily Brief. “But this time, polling data shows Americans are directly linking affordability concerns to trade policy.” The results are clear about affordability concerns across party lines: 75 percent of Americans are concerned about the price of food and groceries, and 83 percent of people who voiced these concerns said tariffs had raised prices.
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Notably, Americans were split about who they believed bore the burden of tariffs: 41 percent said they’re a tax citizens pay, and 40 percent said foreigners pay. It’s a question CFR’s Benn Steil addressed in an article last year, projecting at the time that U.S. consumers would pay roughly two-thirds of Trump’s tariff costs.
Likewise, Smith said, “despite a majority of Americans saying Canada, Japan, the European Union (EU), and Mexico are fair trading partners, they are divided on what the next president should do with Trump’s tariffs.” More than half of the respondents said that at least some tariffs should remain in place for Canada, the EU, Japan, and Mexico. In regard to China—as seen with other topics—opinions varied by political party, but 43 percent of all respondents said that tariffs on China were too high. And 42 percent said they were not okay with the United States importing goods essential to national security from China, though “Americans define national security in different ways,” Smith said. The Daily Brief will continue tracking how trade issues affect the midterms results. Scroll on for more on what CFR is watching ahead of the election. |
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Thoughts on Today’s Newsletter? |
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China, Iran, and Russia continue to pursue influence operations, CFR’s James Lindsay said on this week’s episode of The President’s Inbox. He sat down with colleague Jessica Brandt to discuss what role those threats could play in next month’s U.S. midterms.
They discussed the difference between interference and influence operations, whether artificial intelligence could “turbocharge” election threats, and more. The allure of these operations for foreign adversaries, Brandt said, is simple: “They believe it’s working.” |
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Every day, the Daily Brief brings you a curated list of the top stories from around the world. |
- African Union Launches Continent’s First Credit Rating Agency. The move seeks to offer an alternative to the three major global credit ratings agencies, as many economies on the continent struggle with debt.
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Tigray Residents Report Eritrean Troop Sightings. Witnesses in the north Ethiopia region told news outlets they had seen Eritrean soldiers in the area. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of backing the rebel coalition.
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Updated U.S. Indictment Accuses Venezuela’s Maduro and Wife of Conspiracy to Commit Torture. Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been charged with conspiracy to commit torture, according to a superseding indictment unsealed today. They have pleaded not guilty to previous charges and are expected to stand trial in June.
- NYT: U.S. Moves Reaper Drones to South America to Combat Cartels. The United States has dispatched MQ-9 Reaper drones to Colombia and Ecuador, unnamed U.S. officials told the New York Times. The drones are intended to assist efforts to target Latin American drug cartels.
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South Korea Recalls Ukraine Envoy. In the latest sign of their strained relations, South Korea announced today that it would recall its ambassador to Ukraine. It comes after Seoul accused Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of violating a confidentiality agreement last month when he announced that Kyiv had sent two North Korean prisoners of war to South Korea. Ukraine has denied that such an agreement existed.
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Reuters: In Policy Reversal, Washington Opens Direct Talks With Myanmar Generals. The Trump administration has commenced talks with the country’s military government, ending the diplomatic isolation the United States pursued after the 2021 coup, unnamed sources told the news agency. The outreach has focused on closing scam centers that target Americans but paves the way for broader engagement, including on Myanmar’s rare earth minerals.
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Reuters: Eurozone Ministers Ask France to Pass Budget. The European Central Bank and Eurozone ministers urged France today to pass a budget for next year in order to calm bond markets, the news agency reported. France’s ten-year bond yield recently hit its highest level since 2002.
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Spanish Woman Whose Eviction Sparked Demonstrations Dies. María del Carmen Abascal, the 87-year-old woman whose eviction from her Madrid apartment last month sparked mass housing protests across Spain, died yesterday.
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Airlines Suspend Flights to Riyadh as Houthi Attacks Continue. Dozens of flights into the Saudi capital were canceled Thursday after Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they had attacked Riyadh’s international airport. Several airlines have suspended services for the next few days.
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United Kingdom and Israel Strike Deal to Keep British Consulate Open. The British foreign secretary announced that the two countries had reached a last-minute agreement to keep open the British consulate in East Jerusalem, albeit in a more limited capacity, after a diplomatic spat in which both countries had threatened to expel diplomats in recent days.
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Insights delivered at the pace of China’s global rise. China’s reach extends from boardrooms to trade blocs, steering investment, innovation, and strategic alliances across the globe. Authored by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Andy Browne, Semafor China brings sharp analysis on how Beijing’s power is reshaping the new world economy. Subscribe for free.
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