Why tariffs could be Trump's undoing | Ross Barkan

Even otherwise spineless Republican senators are alarmed at Trump's trade wars - because tariffs are hurting crucial 2020 battleground states

In the end, it was not the ceaseless lying, the Muslim ban, the alleged obstruction of justice, the pandering to white supremacists, the demonization of immigrants, or the climate change denialism that most outraged Donald Trump's party. The norm-shattering president finally became too much for Republican politicians when he threatened to do something else entirely - impose tariffs on Mexican imports.

Related: US-Mexico talks to resume Thursday as tariff deadline nears

US President Donald Trump Trump has often repeated that China pays for US tariffs on its goods. 'We have billions of dollars coming into our treasury from China. We never had 10 cents coming into our treasury; now we have billions coming in' he said on 24 January 2019. On 5 May he tweeted: 'For 10 months, China has been paying Tariffs to the USA.'

He lashes out at allies and trading partners around the globe, a jingoistic braying with no true end-game