Do you agree with the Trump’s decision to impose wide-ranging “Liberation Day” tariffs?

👍 Yes (21%) – "The middle class has been shrinking since the 1970's when manufacturing began moving overseas. We don't have factories like we used to. The only way to complete with a workforce that earns 10% of an equivalent American worker is to artificially raise the costs. It's going to hurt in the short term, but we can't continue on the path we were on."

• "I believe we currently operate in a system that really isn’t “free trade” - other countries take advantage of us due to our role the largest net importer. We spend so much time being the “good guy” globally that we have gotten the short end of the stick on just about every trade relationship. I believe the goal here is to 1) give other countries a little taste of their own medicine, 2) strengthen internal production capacity, jobs, etc. and 3) cut our overall trade imbalance to boost GDP. Little brash, yes of course, but it’s proven to usually be effective so I am onboard."

👎 No (69%) – "We are a country that relies on global trade. It will take years to produce many of these goods here in the US if that is the intent. I could understand a small increase if the market needs an adjustment on pricing, but not as high an increase as he has imposed."

• "These tariffs are only going to punish the consumers and employees. Companies will charge more for products and lay off people in order to protect their precious bottom line. The divide between the wealthy and the rest of us is only going to get wider."

"Tariffs are taxes! Plain and simple. They do nothing but cause higher prices on everyday products. The American people will be the ones that suffer. Other countries are already starting to set up trade deals amongst themselves, eliminating the US all together. Tariffs are just bad policy."

• "The average American consumer is being treated as nothing but collateral damage in some bizarre ego match that our president has developed in his head. Is our manufacturing being undercut by predatory practices, particularly in Asia? Yep. Is this going to address that? Maybe, in the slew of consequences that follows these actions, local manufacturing will uptick. Unfortunately, we won't be able to afford to, you know, eat, buy clothes, buy transportation, complete home projects, without paying much more than we would have before this nonsense, and long term effects aren't going to outweigh the damage."

"This has no basis in economics; it is strictly politics and has zero chance of doing what he states it is intended to do. It takes years and years to establish new manufacturing plants and the costs would still end up being higher due to the wages people earn in this country."

• "Tariffs have been shown to be ineffective trade tactics. The US has already conceded global trade priority with various nations to China and these tariffs are more likely to push other key trade partners to more favorable terms with China than to enhance their trade terms with the US. Tariffs would be more effective if there was a near-term threat in the form of already existing US-based manufacturing options but, since those will take years to build and shift supply chains, US trade partners know this is a gambit to try to negotiate more US-favorable terms."

🤷 Unsure/other (10%) – "Say what you will about DJT, he knows business and the art of the deal. While it personally freaks me out to see this unilateral move, I'm trying to trust that he knows exponentially more than I about how markets move, both foreign and domestic."