Many Americans concerned about Trump’s economic moves

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows that 57% of Americans think President Donald Trump is being too unpredictable in his approach to the U.S. economy, including his aggressive strategy to tax imports that has worried the stock market.

About one-third of respondents said Trump’s actions were not too unpredictable, while 11% were unsure or did not answer. Even within Trump’s own party, about one in three Republicans felt his actions were too unpredictable.

Despite concerns about his methods, many Republicans still support Trump’s economic policies. The poll found that 79% of Republicans agreed that Trump’s actions on the economy “will pay off in the long run.” Overall, 41% of all respondents thought his policies would eventually pay off, but only 5% of Democrats agreed.

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Most Americans (70%) expect that higher tariffs will make groceries and everyday purchases more expensive. This concern crosses party lines, with nine out of ten Democrats and six out of ten Republicans sharing this view.

The poll also found that 61% of respondents believe Trump’s top priority should be controlling rising prices.

The survey included 1,422 U.S. adults nationwide and had a 3 percentage point margin of error.

As these poll results were released, Trump threatened to increase trade tensions by adding more tariffs on European Union goods. This came just after Trump’s 25% duties on all U.S. steel and aluminium imports took effect. Major trading partners have said they will respond to trade barriers already put in place by the U.S. president.

“Whatever they charge us, we’re charging them,” Trump told reporters at the White House, warning that he would impose additional penalties if the EU follows through with its plan to put counter-tariffs on some U.S. goods next month.