President Trump’s aggressive use of tariffs has secured overwhelming support among Republican voters, according to a new Economist/YouGov poll, cementing a dramatic transformation in conservative economic thinking that would have been unthinkable a generation ago.
The survey, conducted Oct. 17-20, found that roughly two-thirds of Trump voters and Republicans support maintaining or increasing current tariff levels — a striking endorsement of trade policies that the party’s establishment once uniformly opposed. Among conservatives, 62 percent support maintaining or increasing current tariff levels.
Even more remarkably, 59 percent of Trump voters back imposing a 100 percent tariff on all goods imported from China, effectively doubling the cost of Chinese products. Among Republicans overall, 58 percent support the measure. Among conservatives, 56 percent support the 100 percent tariff.
A New GOP Consensus
The findings reveal that Trump’s trade policies — once controversial even within his own party — have become orthodoxy on the right. Eighty percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s handling of foreign trade, with 49 percent expressing strong approval.
The poll’s timing is significant. By October 2025, Trump had already implemented sweeping tariff increases, including punitive measures on Chinese imports. When respondents said they wanted tariffs “kept the same,” they were endorsing these elevated levels, not calling for a return to pre-Trump trade policy.
Among Trump voters, 23 percent want tariffs increased further, while 43 percent want them maintained at current levels. Only 20 percent said tariffs should be decreased — a small minority that represents what remains of the party’s free-trade faction.
The pattern holds across conservative voters more broadly: 21 percent favor increases, 41 percent want to maintain current levels, and just 20 percent support decreases. The numbers among Republicans are similar: 21 percent favor higher tariffs, 43 percent approve current levels, and 18 percent would like tariffs lowered.
The China Factor
Support for tariffs is particularly strong when China is the target. The poll found that 82 percent of Republicans consider China either “unfriendly” (31 percent) or an outright “enemy” (47 percent) of the United States.
Among Trump voters specifically, 45 percent view China as an enemy, with another 36 percent calling it unfriendly. Only 10 percent of Trump voters consider China an ally or a friendly nation.
This hawkish view of Beijing appears to drive support for aggressive trade measures. When asked specifically about a 100 percent tariff on Chinese goods, conservatives support the measure 56 percent to 27 percent, while Republicans back it 58 percent to 26 percent.
The poll also found that only 16 percent of Trump voters believe China has greater economic power than the United States, compared with 39 percent of Harris voters who say China is more economically powerful. In contrast, 56 percent of Trump voters say the United States has greater economic power, while just 26 percent of Harris voters believe America is economically dominant.
Breaking With Dogma
The Republican embrace of tariffs marks a sharp departure from decades of party orthodoxy. For decades, GOP leaders championed free trade agreements and warned that protectionism would hurt American consumers and businesses.
As recently as 2016, Trump’s primary opponents attacked his trade skepticism as economically illiterate. But Trump’s victory in Rust Belt states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin — victories many attributed to his protectionist message — forced a party-wide recalculation.
The transformation extends beyond Trump’s core supporters. Among all self-identified conservatives in the poll, 76 percent approve of Trump’s handling of foreign trade. Among Republicans, 80 percent approve. And among Trump voters, 78 percent approve.
The shift represents a complete reversal of traditional Republican positioning on trade. In the 1990s and 2000s, the party’s leaders advocated for NAFTA, permanent normal trade relations with China, and entry into the World Trade Organization. Opposition to those policies came primarily from Democrats and labor unions or from dissident conservative populists like pundit-turned-presidential candidate Pat Buchanan.
International Ramifications
Support for Trump’s tariff policies does not indicate an inward turn toward isolation by the American right. Indeed, Trump’s supporters believe the president has improved America’s standing in the world. Among Trump voters, 77 percent believe America’s international standing has improved since his inauguration in January 2025. Just 11 percent say it has worsened. Among conservatives, 76 percent say America’s standing has improved. Among Republicans, 79 percent.
When asked whether the United States should “take an active part in world affairs” or “stay out,” Trump voters (60 percent) and Republicans (57 percent) strongly favor engagement. Conservatives are slightly less likely to favor engagement, at 52 percent versus 30 percent.
This represents a more internationalist stance than often attributed to Trump’s base, though the type of engagement matters. Republicans support active engagement when it involves economic confrontation with rivals like China or reaching more favorable trade agreements, but are more skeptical of bureaucratic diplomatic initiatives and multilateral institutions.
A Durable Shift
The breadth and depth of Republican support for tariffs suggest the party’s transformation on trade may outlast Trump’s presidency. The backing extends beyond his most ardent supporters to include moderate Republicans and conservatives who may have reservations about other aspects of his agenda.
Among Republicans, just 14 percent disapprove of Trump’s trade policies, split between 10 percent who somewhat disapprove and four percent who strongly disapprove. Among conservatives, just 18 percent disapprove. This suggests that the once animated anti-Trump rump of the Republican party has largely been extinguished or converted.
The Economist/YouGov poll captures a moment of significant realignment in American politics. The data shows that Trump has successfully redefined Republican orthodoxy on trade. Seventy-eight percent of his voters and 76 percent of conservatives broadly support his tariff regime. Among Republicans overall, support reaches nearly 80 percent.
This represents not just a short-term shift in sentiment but the revival of a long-dormant tradition. From the Civil War through the early 20th century, the Republican Party was the nation’s principal defender of tariffs—seen then as the key to industrial growth, higher wages, and national self-sufficiency. That legacy faded in the late 20th century as the party embraced free trade and global integration, in part because it saw these as tools in the battle against global communism. Now, under Trump, the GOP has returned to its original economic nationalism, arguing that tariffs once again serve the broader interests of American workers and industry.
At least in the eyes of Republicans and America’s conservatives, Trump has made tariffs great again.
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