The GOP’s protectionism detour has run its course

In perhaps no area has President Donald Trump diverged more sharply from traditional Republican orthodoxy than trade. For decades, GOP presidents generally supported lower barriers to global commerce. Trump, by contrast, has fully lived up to his self-description as a “Tariff Man,” repeatedly raising taxes on imported goods.

Much of his party, at least in rhetoric if not always in conviction, has gone along with him. Today, tariffs are no longer a temporary experiment but a defining feature of Republican economic policy. Whether that remains the case, or the GOP rediscovers its long-standing affinity for free markets, is one of the most consequential questions facing the party today.