Latest news with #Rove
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
GOP strategist makes stunning prediction for Trump Republicans
The top strategist for former President George W. Bush has issued an ominous warning to Republicans over President Donald Trump's ping-ponging tariff policies. Namely, that they could well cost the GOP control of Congress in the 2026 mid-term elections. That's because voters will soon grow wise to the fact that they'll be the ones stuck with higher prices at the cash register, ex-Bush politics brain Karl Rove wrote in an opinion piece for The Wall Street Journal. "His tariff demands are weighing him down. Only 37% of Americans told a May 15 Marquette Law School poll that they approve of tariffs, while 63% disapproved," Rove, who won the White House twice for Bush, wrote. 'Fifty-eight percent said tariffs hurt the U.S. economy; a mere 32% believe they help. That starts to explain why stock markets drop when Mr. Trump rattles his trade saber and rebound when he walks back his tariff threats.' All that back and forth has left voters 'confused,' Rove continued. And the messaging 'runs smack dab into basic economics,' Rove continued. For instance, Trump has insisted that American companies can absorb higher import costs, pointing to a May 17 post on Trump's Truth Social network where the Republican demanded that big box giant Walmart 'EAT THE TARIFFS' and 'not charge valued customers ANYTHING.' As younger voters might say, the math isn't mathing there. Arkansas-based Walmart had a 2.75% profit margin in April. If it follows Trump's mandate, 'it can't break even,' Rove wrote. The retailer 'can't absorb the cost of an imported pair of kids jeans inflated by the 46% tariff Mr. Trump threatens on Vietnam, or the 37% tariff for Bangladesh, or the 32% tariff on sneakers from Indonesia that Mr. Trump proposed,' Rove continued, noting that other retailers such as Target and Best Buy are in the same boat. 'The president can blast all-caps posts all he likes, but inevitably parents will be unhappy with his tariffs when it's time to outfit the kids for school,' Rove wrote. 'Americans' everyday experiences as we shop and work are already reinforcing that we—not the exporters or importers—will pay most of Mr. Trump's tariffs," the GOP strategist observed. ICE takes two into custody in Amherst in crackdown on 'sanctuary' communities MIT bans class president who gave pro-Palestine speech from commencement Supreme Court lets Trump admin. strip protections for people from 4 countries Tainted by state's drug lab scandal, seized property hangs in balance as US high court weighs taking up case Why the fight over foreign students at Harvard has some US students leaving, too Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
‘They'll blame Donald Trump': Karl Rove warns tariffs will turn 2026 voters to Democrats, Navarro goes ballistic
Longtime GOP strategist Karl Rove warned this week that the 'muddled mess' around Donald Trump's 'chaotic trade talk' could 'badly damage' the Republican Party in the midterms next year, adding that voters would 'blame' the president for higher prices and scarce goods. The stern words from Rove, a longtime Fox News contributor, prompted the president's trade adviser to rage against the former George W. Bush deputy chief of staff and campaign architect on Rove's own network. 'Shame on you, Karl Rove,' Peter Navarro growled during a Thursday afternoon appearance on Fox Business. In a column for the Wall Street Journal, Rove explained that Republicans are stuck dealing with 'two messaging challenges' at the moment – Medicaid funding in the 'Big, Beautiful Bill' and the president's tariffs. 'The story isn't good for the GOP,' Rove noted, pointing out that Trump is severely underwater in polls on his handling of the economy, largely due to concerns that his trade policy will spark inflation and a recession. 'That starts to explain why stock markets drop when Mr. Trump rattles his trade saber and rebound when he walks back his tariff threats,' he added, seemingly referencing the 'TACO' strategy Wall Street investors have employed when it comes to the president's latest trade announcements. 'The administration's messaging is a muddled mess,' he added. 'Republicans should hope the president really believes in reciprocity—the policy that if countries lower their tariffs, we'll lower ours. He should have confidence that America can compete if the playing field is level.' 'Unless reciprocity prevails, the president's chaotic trade talk will badly damage Republicans in the midterms,' Rove concluded. 'And if the House or Senate flips, the president will find it much harder to advance his priorities in his final two years. Voters won't blame foreign countries for higher prices or fewer goods. They'll blame Donald Trump and his Republican Party.' Meanwhile, shortly after Rove's column dropped, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled that Trump had 'exceeded his authority' with the majority of the import taxes he'd imposed over the past few months, including last month's so-called 'Liberation Day' tariffs. A federal appeals court followed up by temporarily reinstating the tariffs until the legal challenges fully play out. Appearing on Fox Business Network's The Claman Countdown, Navarro fumed about the 'rogue judges' who rejected the administration's arguments that Trump currently has broad authority to import sweeping tariffs under emergency powers. Fox anchor Liz Claman, meanwhile, reminded Navarro that one of the trade court judges was appointed by Trump himself. Navarro had a similar meltdown Thursday when a reporter for The Independent, Andrew Feinberg, asked about the frequency with which the administration attacks judges as 'activists' when the president or his officials disagree with their rulings. 'Who is this guy?' the hair-trigger Navarro railed, evading the question in the process. Claman also brought up Rove's warning that the ongoing uncertainty over the president's trade policies and the potential economic damage they could unleash may end up hurting the GOP in upcoming elections. Navarro, echoing the president's repeated criticism of his one-time political adviser, personally tore into Rove in response. 'Let's start with Karl Rove. Karl Rove is the guy who lost the Georgia two Senate seats for us. And his day has passed about…a decade ago,' Navarro groused, referencing Republicans losing both of the 2021 Senate runoff races. 'He hates the tariffs, he hates Donald Trump.' He continued: 'Anything he says is totally discounted, and he said the same stuff during the first term. He said that consumers were gonna eat the tariffs. They did not. Shame on you, Karl Rove! When are you gonna learn, sir?' Since Trump first left office after his 2020 loss to Joe Biden, Rove has repeatedly criticized the president over his 'reckless petulance' and criminal behavior, naturally leading the president to fire back with personal attacks and demands that Fox News fire the Republican consultant. Following Trump's return to the White House earlier this year, Rove has sounded the alarm on Trump's sinking poll numbers while pointing out that Americans are 'already exhausted' with the president's 'flood the zone' tactics. 'There's way too much retribution. Most of the president's revenge attempts will end badly for him. Republicans could rue the day they set a new justification for retaliation from Democrats,' Rove argued last month. 'I don't need to have Karl Rove of Fox News to tell me what to do. The guy's a total Loser who's been wrong about almost everything!' Trump fired back on Truth Social a few weeks ago.
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Karl Rove: Trump tariffs could cost GOP their majorities
Republican strategist Karl Rove said in a Wednesday opinion piece that President Trump's tariff rhetoric could cost the GOP its majorities in Congress. In the Wall Street Journal piece, Rove said the Trump administration's 'messaging' around trade 'is a muddled mess.' 'Republicans should hope the president really believes in reciprocity—the policy that if countries lower their tariffs, we'll lower ours. He should have confidence that America can compete if the playing field is level,' he added. On Wednesday, a federal court ruled that an emergency law did not give Trump unilateral authority to impose tariffs on close to every country, barring a series of tariff announcements going back to earlier this year. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said judges on the court 'brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump' after the ruling. A federal appeals court later lifted the first ruling on Thursday, however, a separate federal court on the same day blocked the majority of the president's tariffs. Trump's tariff rhetoric in the first few months of his second term has shaken markets, increased uncertainty about the economy and resulted in raised economic anxiety. The president's trade policy has also strained relationships with longtime American allies like the European Union and Canada. 'Unless reciprocity prevails, the president's chaotic trade talk will badly damage Republicans in the midterms. And if the House or Senate flips, the president will find it much harder to advance his priorities in his final two years,' Rove said in his Journal piece. 'Voters won't blame foreign countries for higher prices or fewer goods. They'll blame Donald Trump and his Republican Party,' he added. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Hill
Karl Rove: Trump tariffs could cost GOP their majorities
Republican strategist Karl Rove said in a Wednesday opinion piece that President Trump's tariff rhetoric could cost the GOP their majorities in Congress. In the Wall Street Journal piece, Rove said the Trump administration's 'messaging' around trade 'is a muddled mess.' 'Republicans should hope the president really believes in reciprocity—the policy that if countries lower their tariffs, we'll lower ours. He should have confidence that America can compete if the playing field is level,' he added. On Wednesday, a federal court ruled that an emergency law did not give Trump unilateral authority to impose tariffs on close to every country, barring a series of February tariff announcements. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt on Thursday said judges on the court 'brazenly abused their judicial power to usurp the authority of President Trump' after the ruling. A federal appeals court later lifted the first ruling on Thursday, however, a separate federal court on the same day blocked the majority of the president's tariffs. Trump's tariff rhetoric in the first few months of his second term has shaken markets, increased uncertainty about the economy and resulted in raised economic anxiety. The president's trade policy has also strained relationships with longtime American allies like the European Union and Canada. 'Unless reciprocity prevails, the president's chaotic trade talk will badly damage Republicans in the midterms. And if the House or Senate flips, the president will find it much harder to advance his priorities in his final two years,' Rove said in his Journal piece. 'Voters won't blame foreign countries for higher prices or fewer goods. They'll blame Donald Trump and his Republican Party,' he added. The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Karl Rove Says This ‘Muddled Mess' Trump Policy Will Cost The GOP Next Year's Midterms
Longtime GOP strategist and commenter Karl Rove predicts President Donald Trump's tariff policies will cost Republicans next year's midterms, calling the administration's messaging 'a muddled mess.' 'The story isn't good for the GOP,' Rove said in a column published in The Wall Street Journal Wednesday. Rove warned fellow Republicans that Trump's 'tariff demands are weighing him down' as his general job approval sinks and voters disapprove of his handling of the economy, citing data from RealClearPolitics. Trump and Rove have clashed in recent weeks as the Bush administration's senior adviser became critical of the president's strategy. Last month Rove said Trump's approval ratings are in 'bad shape' when it comes to the economy. He also appeared on Fox advising the president to cooperate with the courts in the Kilmar Abrego Garcia deportation case. Trump responded on Truth Social by calling Rove 'a total Loser who's been wrong about almost everything!' Now Rove is warning Republicans that 'the president's frenetic back-and-forth on the subject, declaring a trade war one day then postponing new tariffs the next, leaves voters confused.' A more recent example of Trump's on-again, off-again tariff policy happened last week when he threatened to impose a 50% tariffs on imports from the European Union. That threat was backtracked on Sunday when EU heads asked to extend his deadline for trade talks until July 9. 'Maybe these apparent flip-flops were all planned by the master of the 'Art of the Deal.' But to many, it looks like cleanup on aisle six,' Rove said. Rove's sentiment was felt in Wall Street as investors came up with a new term to describe Trump's on-again, off-again tariffs, called 'TACO,' which is code for 'Trump Always Chickens Out.' 'The administration's messaging is a muddled mess,' Rove said, telling Republicans Trump should look towards 'reciprocity,' a policy he describes as 'if countries lower their tariffs, we'll lower ours.' Rove ended the column by saying 'voters won't blame foreign countries for higher prices or fewer goods. They'll blame Donald Trump and his Republican Party.' Karl Rove Undeterred In New WSJ Editorial After Trump Called Him A 'Total Loser' Karl Rove On Trump's Economy: 'He's In Bad Shape' Karl Rove Warns Trump Of The 1 Move That Will Backfire
