Recently, in an unprecedented move, Ontario’s provincial government intruded in American politics by trying to divide the Republican Party regarding tariff policy. They did this knowing that there are two strands of GOP thought on tariffs: a pro-free trade belief, and a pro-tariff belief, which the Canadians hope to exploit in their ongoing trade battles with the U.S.
Which brings me neatly back to the issue of higher tariffs. Once again, I am analyzing this as a political issue, and not as an economic one.
The historical GOP was a big fan of tariffs. Abraham Lincoln brought them over from the “American System” of the Whig party, of which he was a prominent proponent. In 1896, the GOP doubled down on them under William McKinley, whom President Trump has praised.