Trump’s Tariffs Shift Costs Onto Workers and Farmers

Mark Brooks, a third-generation lobster-trap manufacturer in Maine, says he’s never faced a worse climate for his business in 40 years. The same week President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on imported steel, Brooks’ domestic wire-mesh supplier raised prices 20%. Then Canada hit U.S. lobster traps with its own 50% tariff, and roughly $2 million in annual cross-border shipments dried up almost overnight.

“We’ve eaten as much cost as we can to try to keep our prices down, but we just can’t eat any more than we have already,” Brooks said. His traps now sell for $180, up from $130 two years ago.

It’s a small story with a large footprint. The elections are close.

With the Nov. 3 congressional elections 12 days away, Republican candidates are trying to explain tariffs, a war with Iran and stubborn prices to voters who aren’t buying the economy’s report card.

The Economic Squeeze

The numbers are sobering for the party in power. A CNBC All-America Economic Survey found eight in 10 Americans rate the economy fair or poor, the highest share since December 2023. Overall, 63% are pessimistic about the outlook. That includes 35% of Republicans, up six points from July and the highest GOP pessimism recorded in either of Trump’s two terms.

“We got there not because of independents or Democrats getting more sour — it’s because Republicans have,” said Micah Roberts, partner at Public Opinion Strategies, the Republican pollster for the survey.

Trump’s economic approval sits at 34%, with 65% disapproving. His overall approval is 40%. Eighty percent of respondents say prices are rising, and 57% name food, gas and housing costs combined as their top concern. In the survey, 46% said military action in Iran was worth it to disrupt Iran’s nuclear development, down from 53% in April.

On the ground in Maine, costs keep piling up. AAA says diesel for boats is up 67% statewide over the past year. Rope, much of it imported from India, and bait, largely from Europe, cost more too. Steve Train hauls 400 traps a day out of Casco Bay. He put it plainly: “Everything we do in this business costs more money right now. These tariff wars are not helping us.” He also faulted Trump for “bypassing Congress” to “issue executive orders to do things that cause us a problem.”

Republicans Break Ranks on Policy

Several Republicans in competitive races are putting daylight between themselves and the White House. In Maine, Sen. Susan Collins says she negotiated exemptions for concrete, wood pulp and road salt. At an Oct. 13 debate, she told Democrat Troy Jackson: “Troy and I both would have voted against the Canadian tariffs. But I have been able to negotiate and get certain items removed from the tariff list — Troy would have gotten nothing.” Jackson countered that Congress should have blocked the tariffs outright. Polls compiled by FiftyPlusOne show him up by an average of 2 points.

In Michigan, Mike Rogers criticized the Canada tariffs and urged a quick end to the Iran war. In Iowa, Ashley Hinson opposed Trump’s temporary tariff cut on imported ground beef, arguing it would hurt U.S. cattle ranchers. Senate hopefuls in New Hampshire, Alaska, Ohio and Nebraska raised concerns about Trump allowing Russian diesel imports.

Hinson will still appear with Trump at a Sioux City rally Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EDT. “I’ll be President Trump’s ally when it is important for Iowa, but I will push back on him,” she said. She also warned that “there was never a good time to elect a tax-and-spend liberal to the United States Senate but now would be the worst time.”

Iowa’s farm sector shows why the stakes are real. Farm incomes there fell 53% over the last three years, and Chapter 12 farm bankruptcies more than doubled in the past two years. The share of mid- to large-sized farms considered financially vulnerable jumped from 7.7% in 2022 to 19% by December 2025. Trump has announced an $8 billion farmer relief fund. Decision Desk HQ has Democrat Josh Turek leading Hinson 46.7% to 46.3%.

A Culture-War Pivot

With the economy his weakest issue, Trump has leaned into cultural themes at rallies. In Wasilla, Alaska, he said, “We will not let them cut our children,” and attacked transgender athletes in women’s sports. According to AdImpact, Republican candidates or allied groups have spent more than $100 million on 200 ads referencing transgender issues since Aug. 1.

There are doubters inside the party. Former Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan, a Republican, said such messaging works in a primary but could turn off “the 10% of Texans who are going to decide this election.” Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster, said the cultural issues “don’t carry the same juice” as in 2024, overwhelmed by inflation, growth and tariff worries. A CNN/SSRS poll in September had 68% calling the economy extremely important, versus 25% for transgender policies.

Todd Belt of George Washington University said the strategy aims to energize low-propensity voters and shift the midterms from a referendum on Trump to a “choice election.”

Why This Matters:

These fiscal and market signals cut deeper than one party’s polling. Tariffs have raised input costs for small manufacturers, triggered foreign retaliation and shut a business like Brooks Trap Mill out of a $2 million export market. When Republican voters themselves register record pessimism, the economic argument isn’t landing at home. Meanwhile, an AP-NORC poll found about eight in 10 voters want Congress to prioritize lowering the cost of living, and about half want deficit reduction. That’s a mandate for predictable trade policy, spending discipline and congressional involvement in trade decisions. How the GOP answers it over the next 12 days may shape which party writes the budget and sets the trade agenda come January.