WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s all-speed approach to making radical change forced his allies to fight from a defensive stance – explaining his plans after they were executed – and in his Republican party it could end with all shipwrecks.
The concerns are particularly severe when it comes to the economy, with the Dow Jones industrial average losing about 7% of its value this month, with many economists projecting slow growth or recession. These fears have not stopped Trump from continuing to impose tariffs on his enemies and friends. We believe this will raise prices for US consumers.
“I’m worried,” said someone involved in a discussion about the economy with White House officials. These impacts on the market and the economy are immediately felt, but policies aimed at promoting growth, including tax and regulations cuts, will take much longer to implement, the person said.
Personally, officials at the White House National Economic Council have expressed concerns that it may be difficult to recover quickly from the recession, said the two people familiar with the White House internal debate.
A second person who frequently speaks to administrative authorities said the White House is trying to take a long view of the economic trembling. However, that approach poses great risks to both the economy and the Republican political position if there is no turnaround. Many of these executives believe tariffs are not a sound policy and will not be enacted for a long time in the end, but the person said Trump “don’t want to talk about it right now.”
The White House did not respond to requests for comment.
The dark economic cloud is forced into a troublesome position explaining why Trump administration officials, who have pledged to boost the economy by simply winning the election, are facing job losses in the face of stock prices, unilateral cuts to government agencies and forecasts of a sluggish economy.
“This has always been part of the plan,” Agriculture Secretary Brook Rollins said Tuesday of Fox News. “The president is very focused, not short term. …He really wants to fix America.”
That’s a different sentiment from what Trump expressed on the campaign trail when he asked for a vote.
“From the first day of my new administration, we’ll end inflation and make America affordable again,” he told an October rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
The complications of messaging go beyond his economic handling, extending to domestic policies carried out without Congress.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon, who promptly fired half of the department’s workers this week, said on social media Wednesday that the action’s goal is “not to take away education.”
“It’s about removing bureaucracy from education,” writes McMahon.
The layoffs affecting thousands of workers were announced as Trump urges Congress to send him a spending bill.
Senator Mike Round said he believes Trump has the latitude to pursue a trade war. Tariffs are being imposed on Europe, China, Canada and Mexico this year, but not in a long-term expense.
“Look, this is not the way I do it,” Round said of the White House tack. “They want to try something different from their previous administration, but they have to show success pretty quickly.”
A Round’s Republican colleague has a complicated review of Trump’s trade policy. Some of these have been announced and are quickly turning back as a result of retaliation by other countries and pushing down from domestic companies.
Senator Rand Paul said Trump’s “dramatic tariffs” in Canada and Mexico could be “economically devastating,” including his hometown.
“There’s a story about cars that cost another $10,000. Of course we want to sell bourbons. Canadians are trying to block bourbons,” Paul said.
For Republicans facing reelection next year, the precursors of economic disruption are not welcome. Trump has not ruled out the recession.
“That’s not something you want to hear,” said Senator RN.C., who was on the 2026 poll.
“On the one hand, he’s honest, but on the other hand, he has to do everything he can to avoid it for a variety of reasons,” Tillis said. “That really doesn’t surprise me. I’m more concerned about its impact on investment and economic growth.”
Republican Sen. Tim Sheehee has been newly elected to secure Montana seating and said he is completely behind Trump’s economic moves.
“The stock market doesn’t like uncertainty. For now, people don’t know what’s coming next,” Sheehee said. “What we’re trying to see is that throughout the year, we’ll be seeing one of the most powerful economies of a generation as we reorient the financial position of government as one of strength and growth throughout the year.
What’s confusing many of Trump’s allies is his decision to inject uncertainty into himself. For decades, including presidential candidates, Trump has seen tariffs as a country’s economic benefits. He describes them as taxes on foreign countries. However, most economists say the cost of the job is ultimately borne by US businesses and consumers.
Lawmakers, donors and business leaders are concerned about both tariff policy and the broader economy, said Trump’s allies who heard from all three groups. This person said these concerns are not about the concept of tariffs, but what appears to be a lack of strategies in shaking them and imposing them.
But the needle is moving on with regard to trade policy and government cuts that have raised the rage of members of lawmakers, said a Republican strategist whose clients include members of the House and Senate.
“At some point, members of Congress start to go into full freakout mode,” the strategist said. “I don’t know that point has reached the economy itself. I think it has reached some doge’s and some tariffs.”