Sticker Shock

Tariff-driven concerns about rising prices, economic slowdown and small business closures have created visible unease, even among President Trump’s traditional base.

FGS Global’s Insights team polled more than 200 news-attentive Americans for their reactions to the tariffs and their current perceptions of Trump. Here’s what they found: 

• Shaken confidence: Anxieties about tariffs have led some Republicans to say their confidence in Trump’s handling of the economy has declined.

  • Over a third (35%) of his coalition say they oppose higher tariffs.

  • About a third of Republicans also say they’ve become less confident in Trump’s ability to handle the economy since his inauguration (31%), including 18% who say they are much less confident.

  • A few say they support tariffs in theory but feel Trump has applied them haphazardly and to the extreme.

• Reactionary spending and saving: Some TrendSpotters on both sides of the aisle have accelerated large purchases in anticipation of tariff-driven price increases, while others are holding off altogether and being more conscious of their spending.

• There is more support for high tariffs on imports from China; 75% of Republicans are supportive, and even 18% of Democrats are in support. Supporters see an existing trade imbalance between the U.S. and China, especially when it comes to China’s market power and its manufacturing industry making low-quality products, exploiting workers and stealing U.S. intellectual property.

• If a company raised its prices due to tariffs, more than half of Democrats (56%) and over a quarter of Republicans (26%) would blame the government alone; almost no Democrats see price hikes as the company’s fault.

• Republicans call for companies to shift manufacturing and suppliers away from China. Many say besides bringing manufacturing back to the U.S., companies should reevaluate their processes and move manufacturing to a country where our trade agreements are more favorable than they are with China.

• Democrats call for cutbacks on C-suite compensation. Some encourage companies to publicly voice opposition to tariffs and either fund opponents to President Trump’s agenda or stop providing campaign funds to his allies.

For more information, please reach out to insights@fgsglobal.com.

Our own Nedra Pickler was on the scene last week at the Vatican:

Last week on spring break with my teenagers, we arrived in Rome the day Pope Francis died. This photo shows our view in St. Peter’s Square, amid a low chatter of myriad languages gathered to pay their respects and reflecting the worldwide admiration Francis inspired.

Among the many lessons Francis leaves behind are powerful examples for communicators.

1. He listened. FGS’ Liz Breen, a lifelong Catholic and Francis fan, says one of her favorite stories about the pope is that he called the church in Gaza every day mainly to listen. Listening is one of the most important – and often overlooked – steps for communicating.

2. He put values over dogma. Liz Breen notes Francis crossed far fewer dogmatic lines than popular wisdom would have you believe, but he was seen as revolutionary because he communicated broad Christian values. As communicators, we must remember people connect to values, not details. Francis understood that even if some insiders grumbled, a broader, more inclusive message could inspire millions more.

3. He opened media access. Initially wary of the press, Francis eventually established regular in-flight news conferences. “Francis granted more interviews than his two predecessors combined, using the media to speak to his flock in the informal, personal style that characterized his papacy,” wrote longtime AP Vatican reporter Nicole Winfield.

4. He took responsibility. Francis kept taking tough questions even under scrutiny for the church’s sexual abuse scandal. Although he initially discredited victims, Francis ultimately apologized. As Winfield wrote, it “underscored what friends and foes alike saw as one of Francis’ most remarkable attributes: a willingness to admit mistakes and change course.”

5. He didn’t take it personally. Francis demonstrated his understanding that reporters are human beings, too, when he took the extraordinary measure of moving his last major international trip to ensure Winfield, one of his toughest questioners, wouldn’t miss her daughter’s college orientation. Now that’s leading with grace.

In a remarkable turnaround, after trailing the Conservative Party in public opinion polls for two years, the Liberal Party – newly revitalized by Mark Carney – secured enough seats in Canada’s House of Commons to form a minority government and their fourth consecutive mandate.

As of Tuesday morning, the Liberals are four seats short of a majority. However, the counting of special ballots and recounts in close contests may see these numbers change. The two smallest opposition parties, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, each hold the “balance of power” in Parliament if they vote with the Liberals, assuming the current seat count holds.

There will be little time for Carney to savor his victory as Canada’s response to the Trump administration tariffs demands immediate attention. To this end, the Prime Minister will move quickly to appoint his Cabinet so that the work of government can resume in earnest and recall Parliament shortly to deal with urgent policy matters.

Economic security, trade relations and job retention will dominate the agenda. Canada’s focus will be on mitigating the economic disruption of U.S. tariffs in the short term, and trying to reduce economic dependence on the U.S. in the long term. Business leaders with interests in Canada who can help solve Canada’s pressing challenges may find a receptive audience in the Carney government. 

As always, moments of disruption are not only about risks; they create opportunities.

For more information, please reach out to CanadianElection@fgslongview.com.