As promised, the Trump administration has launched a trade war with China. The markets are going down as tariffs are going up. These opening salvos could have drastic implications for both the U.S. and Chinese economies.
That makes understanding how trade affects U.S. workers all the more important. My research suggests that when regions lose jobs to free trade, it has a small but measurable effect on whether voters in those communities support free trade. But such losses have an additional effect on public opinion that relates directly to President Trump’s election: People living in regions hurt by free trade become not only more protectionist, but also more antiforeign or “nativist.” CONT.
James Bisbee (NYU), Monkey Cage