A farmer driving a tractor in 2013

Six months after President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on what he called "Liberation Day," American farmers and manufacturers are feeling the pinch as Republicans fear the president's tariffs will haunt them during the midterm elections, reports USA Today.

Kentucky farmer Caleb Ragland, president of the American Soybean Association, says Trump's tariffs cost him his biggest soybean customer, China, after the country's retaliatory taxes to Trump's tariffs drove the price to oppressive levels.

“We need to not punch our customers in the face with tariffs,” Ralgand told USA Today. “Throwing rocks at each other isn’t good for either one of us.”

Although Trump and Congress have acknowledged the pain these tariffs are causing, promising to use some of the billions the taxes are generating to pay farmers, the only ones who are benefiting, Democrats say, are those who don't need the money.

"It’s a tax on almost everything families buy, so Trump can give his billionaire friends a tax cut,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) said in a statement.

And it's not just farmers who are feeling the sting from Trump's tariffs. While carmakers have estimated the tariffs will cost them billions of dollars this year, they have been able thus far to shield customers from massive price hikes.

However, Michigan polls show concerns, with consumers pointing to tariffs and inflation as reasons to discourage car buying. They also fear the economic downturn could lead to cutbacks on jobs.

Glenn Stevens Jr., executive director of MichAuto, an industry advocacy group, said higher car prices are looming.

“The fear is that will happen soon,” Stevens said.

“It’s very clear that Michiganders are concerned about tariffs and inflation,” Sandy Baruah, CEO of the Detroit Regional Chamber, told USA Today.

As they await a Supreme Court ruling on Trump's authority to issue these sweeping tariffs, Republicans — and Democrats — are taking these concerns to the 2026 midterms.

Scott McLean, political science professor at Quinnipiac University, says Trump wants to avoid "scrutiny and criticism" from lawmakers on his trade agreements.

"They will question why President Trump should have this kind of unilateral power over raising taxes through tariffs,” McLean told USA Today. “That’s embarrassing for the president’s party because they will have to defend the president against their own institutional powers.”

Trump, however, is already facing criticism from some of his own party.

“The President has to work with Congress on tariffs,” Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska wrote Sept. 16 on social media. “Further, tariffs are a tax on the American consumer.”

"There are plenty of states to watch for races where tariffs could play a role," USA Today reports. "Iowa, Michigan and North Carolina each rely heavily on trade and have open Senate seats in 2026. California, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Florida each counted China as their largest source for imports in 2024."

Farmers aren't looking that far ahead as they navigate the immediate affects of the Trump tariff pain, according to the report.

“Right now, they haven’t purchased a single soybean of this crop that’s being harvested,” Ragland said of China. “We’re looking at 25 percent of sales – poof – it’s gone.”