Reuters reports that President Donald Trump’s announcement of reciprocal tariffs is a political risk for his party and could bring economic pain to his constituents if his promises to overhaul the U.S. economy do not deliver. Experts believe it will take years to revitalize U.S. manufacturing, alter supply chains and reshore production, the goals which Trump and his Republican supporters suggest the tariffs will achieve. “[Trump] has a high tolerance for pain, but it could turn into real pain at the ballot box [in] November 2026,” observed Mike Dubke, a former communications director for the president during his first term. “The concern here is what point are we going to see the benefits that he and his advisers believe we’re going to reap? Because he’s only got 18 months before the midterms.” Meanwhile the New York Times says the tariffs are just the latest sign of Trump’s second-term appetite for risk. “He is obviously exceedingly confident about how he thinks these policies will play out,” said Matthew P. Goodman, the director of the Greenberg Center for Geoeconomic Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. “[But] to think this is not going to have an impact on the markets, and on prices and on economic growth, is really stretching one’s imagination.”
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