Trade War May Have Limited Impact on Midterms

Voters unlikely to feel the impact of tariffs before the November elections

Farmer John Duffy loads soybeans from his grain bin onto a truck before taking them to a grain elevator on in Dwight, Ill., on June 13. China hit U.S. soybeans with retaliatory tariffs amid rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Despite rising trade tensions, estimates of the risks of a China trade war on the overall economy may be inflated. Rising tariffs seem to be having little impact on the booming economy, say experts, and hence it’s hard to claim trade wars would affect the November midterm elections.

President Donald Trump pushed ahead on July 11 with plans to impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $200 billion of Chinese imports, escalating the trade tensions with Beijing. The recent action sent a message to all trading partners that the United States is not backing away from its trade demands.