Trump Is Pushing Protectionism. But Polls Show Americans Embracing Trade.

A big part of Donald J. Trump’s political identity has centered on his promises to shake up the United States’ role in the world and reject the free-trade agreements that he has called “a disaster” for American workers. …

When Mr. Trump took office, polls showed that Americans were broadly sympathetic to his calls for a rethinking of trade policy. In January 2017, a Gallup poll found that 71 percent of respondents nationwide said that “promoting favorable trade policies for the U.S. in foreign markets” should be a very important policy goal for the new administration. …

Still, at the same time, Americans have become much more likely to see trade as a good thing since Mr. Trump took office. CONT.

Giovanni Russonello, New York Times