Salena Zito says: “Geography is everything when it comes to this issue. I’m in a part of the country, western Pennsylvania but i also cover the Appalachia and the Great Lakes. I was talking to a bunch of cattle ranchers out in Kansas, tariffs is something they’re really happy about.”
Mark Halperin: “Why is the news coverage hostile to the president’s policies? The establishment media is more hostile to the policy than the country at large. Why? Number one, the establishment media doesn’t like Donald Trump, so it’s a Trump thing, they’re against it. Number two, the establishment media talks to and hangs out with Wall Street types, the very wealthy people who have flourished in under a world with international trade and less likely to hang out with people who live in Selena’s neighborhood who have not flourished in the last 30 years. Three. They grew up as free traders. Went to Ivy League schools and they just have learned trade barriers are bad, tariffs are bad, free trade is good and then they like controversy and this is controversial so they they like that and they tend to be globalists and have a globalist attitude. They think more globally than about America first. If you’re reliant at all on the establishment media it’s not a complete accurate portrayal.”
Grok says:
The disconnect between elite media’s disdain for Trump’s tariffs and their popularity with millions of Americans stems from differing priorities, perspectives, and incentives.
Elite media—think outlets like The New York Times, CNN, or The Economist—tend to reflect the views of a cosmopolitan, educated class that values free markets, global trade, and economic orthodoxy. They often lean on expert consensus from economists who argue tariffs disrupt supply chains, raise consumer prices, and invite retaliation, ultimately harming growth. For instance, studies like those from the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) consistently show trade barriers increase costs for domestic industries reliant on imports—think manufacturing or tech. The media amplifies this, framing tariffs as reckless or populist, often with a tone that assumes their audience already buys into globalization’s benefits. They’re also incentivized to oppose Trump broadly, given their alignment with progressive or establishment interests that see him as a disruptor.
Meanwhile, tens of millions of Americans—especially in deindustrialized regions like the Rust Belt—love tariffs because they feel screwed by decades of free trade. They’ve watched factories close, jobs vanish to China or Mexico, and wages stagnate while corporate profits soared. Trump’s tariffs, like the 25% on steel or 10-20% on Chinese goods, promise protection for their livelihoods—think steelworkers in Pennsylvania or autoworkers in Michigan. Polls back this up: a 2024 Reuters/Ipsos survey showed over 60% of Americans, including many Democrats, support tariffs to protect domestic jobs. For them, it’s less about economic models and more about survival, fairness, and sticking it to a system they think sold them out.
The gap’s also cultural. Elite media often see tariff fans as uneducated or xenophobic, missing the visceral appeal of “America First” to people who don’t trust Davos types. Add in distrust of institutions—Pew Research says only 22% of Americans trust media—and the contempt reads as out-of-touch elitism. Both sides dig in: media doubles down on data, supporters cheer defiance. Neither’s fully “right”—tariffs do raise costs but can shield jobs—yet the divide’s more about who’s heard than who’s correct.
