White House vows to press ahead with tariffs despite midterm backlash

The White House says tariffs will continue at full pace despite voter anger over the cost of living, with polls showing most Americans want the duties repealed.

White House: tariffs stay

One week after the November 3 midterm election, the White House said it will press ahead with tariffs at the same pace. Jim Goyer, the director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, defended the duties at the B20 summit in Washington, calling them a tool to rebuild American manufacturing, secure supply chains and protect national security. "And we are just getting started," he said.

Goyer added that the administration's ambition is to continue at this pace for the remainder of the president's term. Democrats plan to challenge the tariffs when they take control of Congress in January, but the president's veto power and broad trade authority could make them hard to overturn.

Voters blame tariffs for prices

Polls show the cost of living dominated the midterm vote. A CNBC voter poll found roughly two-thirds of voters said the president's policies contributed to inflation, and nearly nine in ten voters said the cost of living was a major or crucial factor in their vote. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found 62% of Americans supported repealing the tariffs, while just 21% approved of his handling of the cost of living.

Gary Cohn, the president's chief economic adviser during his first term and now vice chairman of IBM, called tariffs "a consumption tax on the U.S. consumer," arguing the duties raise prices and force Americans to reconsider purchases. A Federal Reserve Bank of New York study estimated about 26% of tariff increases were passed through to consumer prices, with some effects taking nine to 12 months to work through supply chains.

Prices are still rising

Consumer prices rose 0.4% in October, above economists' expectations. Annual inflation reached 3.7% in September, the latest year-over-year figure available, well above the Federal Reserve's 2% target. Energy costs have also been pushed higher by the war with Iran, while housing and healthcare costs strain household budgets.

Cohn suggested the president and the incoming Democratic Congress could make protections against China permanent while rolling back tariffs on Canada. The White House, meanwhile, shows no sign of changing course. This post summarizes reported facts and our view of the risks. It is not a forecast and not investment advice.

Sources

• CNBC, 2026-11-10
• Associated Press, 2026-11-10