NBC News "Half of US Voters Oppose Trump's Tariff Pledge"

60% of Voters Support Expanding Fossil Fuels and Strengthening Borders

With the U.S. presidential election just over two weeks away, nearly half of the voters have expressed negative views toward the universal tariff pledge of the Republican candidate, former President Donald Trump.

According to a policy support survey conducted by NBC News from the 4th to the 8th (local time) targeting 1,000 registered voters, 44% of respondents said they were unlikely to vote for a candidate who proposes a universal tariff (margin of error ±3.1 percentage points).

The proportion of respondents who support the introduction of a universal tariff was 35%. Meanwhile, 19% of respondents said the introduction of a universal tariff would have no impact on their vote.

Earlier, former President Trump announced that he would actively use tariffs to restore U.S. manufacturing. He pledged to impose a universal tariff of 10-20% on all imports worldwide and an ultra-high tariff of 60% on all Chinese imports. In an interview with Bloomberg News at the Chicago Economic Club on the 15th, Trump stated, "We will bring companies back to our country and increase jobs to levels never seen before," adding, "This is only possible through the threat of tariffs."

However, concerns are growing that tariff hikes could lead to higher import prices and a rebound in inflation. TD Securities forecasted that U.S. prices would rise by 0.6 to 0.9 percentage points if a universal tariff is introduced. The U.S. think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) predicted that the U.S. inflation rate could increase by 1.8 percentage points. This figure is based on the assumption of a 10% universal tariff rate, not 20%.

Additionally, two-thirds of voters were found to support expanding fossil fuel production, increasing the newborn tax credit up to $6,000, and deploying troops near the border to prevent illegal immigration.

Sixty-seven percent of respondents supported former President Trump's pledge to expand fossil fuel production, while only 15% opposed it. Sixty-four percent supported the child tax credit expansion proposed by Democratic candidate Vice President Kamala Harris, and 62% supported the deployment of military forces near the border as advocated by former President Trump.

Regarding the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 overturning of the 1973 'Roe v. Wade' decision that recognized women's abortion rights, 52% of respondents said they do not support the ruling, while 30% supported the Supreme Court's reversal.

Meanwhile, according to the NBC News survey, Vice President Harris and former President Trump each recorded 48% support nationwide. In the same survey last month, Harris had 49% and Trump 44%, but their support rates have evened out within a month.