Overview

• Rove warned in a Wall Street Journal column that Trump’s erratic tariff messaging could cost Republicans their congressional majorities in the 2026 midterms.
• A Marquette Law School poll from May showed 63% of Americans disapprove of the administration’s tariff measures.
• Federal judges have issued conflicting orders on the president’s tariffs, with an initial injunction overturned by an appeals panel before another court barred most of his February tariff announcements.
• The tariff strategy has unsettled global markets and strained relations with key allies including the European Union and Canada.
• Rove urged a “reciprocity” policy, calling for U.S. tariff reductions contingent on other countries matching cuts to revive trade coherence.