Trump’s retreat from tariffs is a relief – and a warning – for NC Republicans | Opinion
Deputy Opinion Editor Paige Masten is covering the 2026 election for The Charlotte Observer and the Raleigh News & Observer.
Thankfully, President Donald Trump backed down on his threat to impose harsh new tariffs on European countries that oppose his quest to acquire Greenland.
The president announced on social media Wednesday that he would no longer pursue tariffs after having found a “solution” to the Greenland crisis during a meeting with the secretary general of NATO. It averts a potential trade war with the European Union, which had threatened retaliatory tariffs on around $100 billion in U.S. goods, including agricultural products.
It’s a relief for North Carolina, whose economy depends heavily on agriculture, and would’ve taken a hit from any European retaliation. It’s also a relief for Republicans, who would have paid a political price for any economic fallout that might have ensued.
A recent report commissioned by the conservative John Locke Foundation illustrates how retaliation to any Trump-imposed tariffs could seriously hurt North Carolina’s farmers. The report, authored by North Carolina State University professor Jeffrey Dorfman, estimates that tariffs could cost the state’s farmers about $695 million, which is roughly a third of average net farm income in North Carolina. Some industries, like cotton, tobacco and sweet potatoes, are particularly dependent on foreign exports, but all industries could take a hit. In total, it could portend a loss of 8,000 jobs. When indirect effects are taken into consideration, the total economic cost could be up to $1.9 billion — more than 2% of North Carolina’s gross state product.
Some sensible Republicans in Washington very forcefully condemned Trump’s tariffs threat, including North Carolina’s own Thom Tillis, who called it “bad for America, bad for American businesses, and bad for America’s allies.” That sort of boldness is important, for practical reasons as much as moral ones, as it may have contributed to Trump backing down on his threat. But too many Republicans, particularly in the House, responded with the usual silence.
That’s not really a surprise. House Republicans have done very little to stand up to any of Trump’s tariffs, even using obscure procedural maneuvers to cede congressional power over tariffs to Trump. But tariffs have been particularly painful for the constituents these lawmakers represent — the congressional districts with the country’s highest agricultural production are overwhelmingly represented by Republicans.
Of course, Trump’s retreat doesn’t mean the threat posed by tariffs is gone. North Carolina remains particularly vulnerable to any retaliation that may arise from any current or future tariffs, which Trump seems eager to throw out as a strong-arming tactic with very little forethought. That means Republicans also remain vulnerable, too. In North Carolina, the tariffs Trump imposed last year have already caused harm to rural farmers, and recent polls suggest that as few as 31% of North Carolinians approve of them. That dissatisfaction could haunt Republicans in the midterms.
North Carolina Republicans may already realize that the actions they’re tacitly or outwardly supporting will come at a cost to their own constituents. Perhaps they just want to avoid the political fallout of the president’s wrath. But if they hitch themselves to the president’s wagon — or try to avoid talking about him — they may face the wrath of unhappy constituents instead.
While Republicans can be glad that they were bailed out this time, they should also take this as a warning. There are three more years of this presidency. Trump isn’t going anywhere, and Republicans will be faced with choices like this again and again. It could be another tariff situation. It could be something else altogether, like health care, which is hurting North Carolinians just as deeply. But it’s inevitable that they will find themselves in this same predicament, and they can’t count on something else bailing them out. Eventually, they will have to stand up to Trump themselves, or they’ll pay the price at the polls.
This story was originally published January 21, 2026 at 1:46 PM with the headline "Trump’s retreat from tariffs is a relief – and a warning – for NC Republicans | Opinion."
