Trump Is Vulnerable on Trade

Neil Irwin: “To President Trump, tariff ‘is a beautiful word indeed.’ Just in the last few weeks, he increased tariffs on billions of Chinese imports and threatened Mexico with big new tariffs.”

“His enthusiasm as trade-warrior-in-chief, though, has not been mirrored by the public. At least that is the conclusion to draw from opinion polling, which shows a rise in enthusiasm for trade deals — and suggests an opening that the Democratic presidential nominee could have in the 2020 election.”

“That nominee could, strange as it may seem, have a pathway to take on Mr. Trump on a signature issue by simultaneously attacking him from the right, as being anti-business, and from the left, as being bad for workers.”