Collapsing consumer sentiment, prices still increasing and the double-barrelled threat of tariffs and growing unemployment numbers have some Republicans on edge, reports Semafor.
GOP lawmakers' decision to remain quiet and give Donald Trump a honeymoon as he attempts to reshape the government is quickly coming to an end as the economy struggles and it appears the president's threat of tariffs may come true which will hit American's pocketbooks no matter what he claims.
According to Semafor's Eleanor Mueller, Burgess Everett, and Shelby Talcott, Trump is "running into harsh economic reality" since being sworn in with no quick fixes on the horizon and that has Republicans already looking at the 2026 midterms with dread.
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Noting "... his party will have to answer for the broader economic effects of his policies," the report continues, "Trump won’t have to face voters again, but congressional Republicans will next fall. They’re clearly conscious of the need to corral inflation while staving off recession."
According to Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) who is already facing an uphill battle to be re-elected, "the tariff regimen has to be right, or it’s going to be inflationary" while warning it could "end up being a very, very difficult cycle for us.”
Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI) stated he is already hearing from concerned constituents about the coming tariffs, explaining, "They’re kind of trying to figure out what are the changes that Trump’s going to make now, and [whether] that could once again have an effect on their businesses.”
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-NE) also sounded the alarm, telling Semafor, "I’m not the biggest fan of depending on [tariffs] for revenue ... the cost to consumers is something we’re talking about, and we need to be mindful of that.”
The report notes that, with Republicans becoming more publicly critical of the Trump administration, the public fretting "may betray deeper fault lines to come."
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