“April 2, 2025, will forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn, the day America’s destiny was reclaimed, and the day that we began to make America wealthy again.”
President Donald Trump spoke those words as he imposed historic tariffs on countries all over the world. One year on, the tariffs have led to massive changes in international relations, disruptions in global trade, a momentous Supreme Court ruling, and many other far-reaching effects. The full legacy of the tariffs is yet to be known, but this Washington Examiner series will take stock of the first year. The fourth installment is about how tariffs will affect the 2028 race. For Part 1 on manufacturing struggles, click here. For Part 2, on the “TACO” phenomenon, click here. For Part 3 on how we may be over the worst of it, click here.
Ambitious Republicans with an eye toward running for president in 2028 are in the uncomfortable position of possibly distancing themselves from President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs without incurring the wrath of the commander in chief.
Vice President JD Vance, the likely front-runner on the Republican side, has repeatedly embraced the president’s tariffs. But if those tariffs cost the GOP either branch of Congress in this year’s midterm elections, navigating the fallout will require a tight path with little room for error.
And it could give space for Republicans outside the White House to denounce the administration’s embrace of levies.
“The tariffs are very unpopular on Capitol Hill. If the GOP suffers a lot of losses, and they blame the tariff strategy as a key reason for that, it’s going to be tough for the next Republican president to run touting the tariffs and expect any kind of support from his party,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum.
Trump’s tariffs were struck down by the Supreme Court in a 6-3 ruling last month, before the administration quickly enacted a 10% global tariff under Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974, which will expire after 150 days on July 24. The high court ruled that the White House overstepped its authority to impose tariffs on trade partners under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act of 1977.
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Vance quickly denounced the ruling on social media: “This is lawlessness from the Court, plain and simple. And its only effect will be to make it harder for the president to protect American industries and supply chain resiliency.”
But he, more so than other Republicans, could face a harder time shaking off tariffs in 2028.
“The vice president typically inherits the baggage of the administration in which he or she serves,” said St. Louis University professor emeritus Joel Goldstein, an expert on the vice presidency. “And one would expect that, given the unpopularity of the tariffs and the perception that they’re contributing to economic problems, that, should Vance run for president, there’ll be some baggage that he’ll have to carry.”
Unlike Secretary of State Marco Rubio, another presumed 2028 GOP contender, Vance’s career has been closely tied to Trump, who elevated him from a one-term Ohio senator to vice president.
“That makes it even more difficult to dissociate himself in the public’s mind from Trump,” said Goldstein of Vance. “That may be helpful in the Republican primary, but not helpful when the administration that you’re part of is as unpopular as the Trump administration is and as the tariff policies are.”
Other Republicans, particularly those rumored to be on the 2028 list, have been less effusive regarding Trump’s tariffs.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) trashed the tariffs in a secret recording obtained by Axios in January. “Mr. President, if we get to November of [2026] and people’s 401(k)s are down 30% and prices are up 10%-20% at the supermarket, we’re going to go into Election Day, face a bloodbath,” Cruz reportedly told Trump in a phone call with other senators.
Yet even before the legal setback, the Liberation Day tariffs were long unpopular with American consumers and businesses frustrated with rising prices.
Just two months after the Liberation Day tariffs were announced in April 2025, 60% of Americans disapproved of how Trump was handling trade and tariffs, according to an NBC News poll.
Senate Democrats vowed they won’t come to the Republicans’ aid to extend the 10% global tariffs beyond July 24 by overcoming the 60-vote filibuster threshold to pass legislation.
“Senate Democrats will continue to fight back against Trump’s tariff tax, and will block any attempt to extend these harmful tariffs when they expire this summer,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement last month. “Democrats will not go along with furthering Trump’s economic carnage.”
Republicans in the House and Senate have also expressed skepticism that there is enough support to muscle through legislation to extend the tariffs.
“It’s going to be, I think, a challenge to find consensus on any path forward on the tariffs, on the legislative side,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) previously told reporters.
Yet Trump is not one to take any defections from his subordinates in the White House or Congress lightly. He has repeatedly pressured Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) to pass the SAVE America Act, despite the lack of votes for the voter ID bill. He has also gleefully primaried and campaigned against Republicans who have voted against his preferences, such as Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).
“I don’t think anyone should expect him to just retire quietly to Mar-a-Lago and not voice an opinion,” said Holtz-Eakin. “He’s going to weigh in every day, even if not asked on whether something’s a good idea. So, they just need to be prepared to defend whatever policy they take on the tariffs because he is going to weigh in.”
Trump allies claimed that the tariffs were actually beneficial to the United States in interviews with the Washington Examiner.
“President Trump revealed the undeniable power of tariffs in a lot of ways, awakening both parties to their strategic importance,” said GOP strategist Ford O’Connell. “When he first imposed tariffs on China, even the Biden administration recognized their value and kept them in place. So I think moving forward, tariffs on China are set to remain a cornerstone of U.S. policy for the foreseeable future.”
“Now, should Republicans reclaim the White House in 2028, tariffs will undoubtedly remain a key policy instrument,” O’Connell added, “though I do think each administration will tailor their approach to its priorities,” he added.
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The Trump White House did not address questions about whether Vance or other Republicans should continue the Liberation Day tariffs in response to a Washington Examiner request for comment. But the administration claimed they were “here to stay.”
“Tariffs played a key role in America’s industrial ascent stretching back to the 1800s. President Trump has over the past year proven that tariffs are still a powerful economic tool – from renegotiated trade deals to Most-Favored-Nations drug pricing deals to trillions in investments into American manufacturing,” said White House spokesman Kush Desai. “The Trump tariff agenda is here to stay precisely because no president would want to — or could — dismantle these historic victories for the American people.”
