Americans are souring fast on President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs, and the speed of the shift left CNN’s chief data analyst, Harry Enten, stunned on Monday.
“They have turned against tariffs the same way college football pundits have turned against Arch Manning after his performance in Columbus on Saturday,” Enten said, pointing to new polling that shows support cratering since Trump’s re-election last November, reported the Daily Beast.
Trump has pitched the tariffs as a way to boost U.S. manufacturing by putting pressure on imported goods. They’ve become a centerpiece of his second term, slapped on hundreds of countries as part of his economic agenda. But on Sunday, a federal court ruled that the tariffs were unlawful. They will stay in place until at least October 14 as the administration looks to appeal, leaving their future uncertain.
Even before the court fight, though, public opinion was shifting. When Trump won his second term in November 2024, Americans leaned toward supporting the new tariffs. Back then, polling showed 52 percent in favor. Now, less than a year later, that number has dropped to 40 percent.
“You go back to November of 2024, the popular position was ‘favor,’ they favored new tariffs on imported goods, 52%!” Enten explained. “You go to [now], look at that, the opposition is up like a rocket! We’re talking about 60% opposing new tariffs compared to just 40% in favor. So it was majority favor back when Trump was re-elected in November of 2024, now it’s a clear three in five Americans oppose it. The Americans have gotten a taste of the tariffs and they spit it right out.”
The numbers suggest the tariffs, once framed as a patriotic sacrifice to strengthen domestic industries, have instead left many Americans frustrated. Prices on imported goods have climbed, and businesses that rely on global supply chains have sounded alarms about higher costs. While Trump’s team has argued the short-term pain will pay off in jobs and growth, the polling indicates voters are running out of patience.
Enten’s colorful reaction on air underscored just how sharply public sentiment has shifted. What was once a winning political message is now underwater, with more Americans saying they oppose the tariffs than support them by a wide margin.
As the court ruling heads for appeal and the administration scrambles to defend the policy, Democrats are likely to seize on the numbers as proof that Trump’s trade strategy is backfiring. Republicans, meanwhile, face the challenge of defending an economic plan that most Americans now say they don’t want.
For Trump, whose presidency has often been defined by his ability to bend Republican voters to his will, the polling is a rare sign of resistance. Whether it grows into a bigger political liability will depend on how the next few months play out.