Poll: Half of US voters oppose steel and aluminum tariffs

Half of U.S. voters, 50 percent, oppose the Trump administration’s recently implemented tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, according to the Quinnipiac University poll released Friday.

That’s compared to only 31 percent who favor the duties. Republicans were the only group surveyed that largely favored the measures, the poll found.

The findings came as Trump arrived in Quebec for the Group of Seven summit, where he is expected to face criticism from key U.S. allies over his decision to slap steep tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from the European Union, Canada and Mexico.

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While half of American voters are opposed to the metal tariffs, a majority of voters — 52 percent — favor levying tariffs on goods imported from China, compared to 36 percent who oppose such measures.

Democrats and black voters were the only groups surveyed that opposed taxing Chinese exports to the U.S.

The Trump administration initially announced the tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in March, but granted the EU, Canada and Mexico temporary exemptions as negotiators sought to hash out trade agreements.

But late last month, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said that those negotiations had not progressed as far as the Trump administration had hoped and that the U.S. could not justify renewing the exemptions.

The tariffs were part of an effort by Trump to balance out what he has deemed unfair trade arrangements with various countries, including many U.S. allies. But the move has angered leaders in Europe, Canada and Mexico, prompting threats of retaliatory duties on U.S. goods.

The EU and Canada have also filed cases against the U.S. at the World Trade Organization.

The Quinnipiac poll surveyed 1,223 voters nationwide from May 31 to June 5. It has a margin of error of 3.4 percentage points.